Well, It's Not Totally Flat

Fair conditions, light breeze out of the southwest, inconsistent surf. Mostly waist high windswell that just kind of flops over with no real length of ride or open face to work with. 7 people out, all tightly bunched on top of the reef. Sets are about every 5-7 minutes. Mostly folks are just bobbing around; not catching many waves. Even the sweeper is having a hard time dropping in.

The sandbar in front of restaurants is steeper and actually pitching some; short board grom territory.

Should begin to see a new southerly pulse beginning Wednesday and holding through the weekend! Which is precisely when I will be in Seattle; figures.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Monday Monday

A touch of morning sickness but still pretty clean conditions. Medium tide, short period windswell with the occasional southerly set sweeping through. Mostly in the waist high range, larger on the sets. Need to be sitting close in for the windswell stuff as it's not standing up till well inside. The set waves, while bigger, aren't all that shapely. 4 people out.

It's a close call; depends on how desperate you are.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Fab Friday

Moderately clean, chest high, fair to good shape, 16 people out including what looks like most of the weekend crew. Doesn't anyone work in San Diego? Sets are probably head high. Wind swell in the mix this morning so it's pretty peaky. Giant rip right in front of the ramp.

Get out there! Also, check out this upcoming Surfrider event!


Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Misty morning, can't see no sun...

But I know you're out there somewhere havin' fun.

Sorry about the lack of a report on Wednesday but I began my training as a luthier yesterday and I just didn't have time to swing by in the morning.

Glassy conditions, inconsistent, waist high, fair shape, 12 people out. Kind of peaky, not easy to catch. Breaking pretty close in as they roll on by the usual takeoff zone. Still, with some local knowledge and the right board you too could be "out there havin' fun"!

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Somebody Spoke and I Went Into Dream...

Of sun, waves and warm water.


And it looked like this.

But when I opened my eyes, this is what I saw:


Bumpy, lumpy chop; west winds and waist high slop. Under grey August San Diego skies. Bummer.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary
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Smaller Than Yesterday

If that's even possible! Glassy conditions, knee high shore break and 3 janitors out. Well at least the water's warm. And there are no rips. But lots of rays!

Have a good one


Aloha
Gary


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Reef or Beach? And a Surprise at the Bottom of the Box

Pulling up to 15th Street this morning I saw that while the reef was slow and mushy (mostly), the beach break in front of the Powerhouse was pretty consistent and snappy.  It was crowded too.  But there were 3 guys in the pack who managed to weave their way through the crowd and snag some clean little peaks all to themselves.  Check it out.

Now for the surprise at the bottom of the box.  The ASP Billabong Teahupoo contest is on right now and on into the 31st of August.  Surfline has forecast 12-15 faces in the final days of the contest.  You can live stream the contest now by clicking on this link :ASP Billabong Teahupoo Live Stream.  The camera work from the water in the impact zone is phenomenal!  Enjoy!

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary

All photos copyright Gary Erbeck

Unless You Are

Surfing the sandbar at Restaurants, it's going to be tough 1. Finding a wave, 2. Catching a wave and/or 3. Being the only person on a wave.

Clean, waist high weaklings trying desperately to be surfable waves. Without much luck. There is the occasional corner to pick off but you have to like waiting (15-20") and be in the right spot to snag one.

So, if you're bummed out by this mornings lack of surf check out this video from yesterday at a so so secret spot in Tahiti.

Free Surfing in Tahiti (Yesterday)
Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Doubled Up

Wind swell is the major wave generator this morning. Mostly waist high with occasional larger sets. Waves are generally right on top of each other, weak and not really breaking till way inside Light breeze, fair shape, 20 people out.

Momma O is making you work for a ride this morning. You either have to chase one down, or sit way inside in about 4 feet of water. In which case you don't have to paddle at all; just stand up, push off the bottom and hop on your board. Wow! Just like surf kook camp!

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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A Crease on the Water

More wind swell showing this morning. The south is still there too but the waves are soft, weak and rolling right over the reef and not breaking till well inside. Waist high, glassy conditions, 15 people out. And two sweepers.

If it looks like this at low tide, there's not much hope for it as the tide starts pushing in and bringing more water to pile on the reef. But at least it's not totally flat like yesterday morning. Yikes, a horde of 8 more people just showed up! So come on down and join in the fun! Everybody else is.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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A Bit More Pop: AN UPDATE

UPDATE:  Right after I posted this report the surf completely and totally died.  Flatter than a pancake. Nada, less than zero.  The entire lineup is stuck out there desperately trying to catch a ripple to shore.  Some chose the paddle of shame.  
A wind swell crept in overnight and crossed up the longer period south swell, producing some tasty peaks on and just south of the reef. Glassy conditions, 20 guys out (including Luke and Clay), thigh to waist high. Long lulls = lots of waiting = party waves when the sets show up. But the crowd is spread out enough that you should be able to shake off a few of the snakes if you're crafty enough.


Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Different Day. Different Surf

Conditions are still clean, but there is a bit more wind this morning and the waves aren't as peaky; longer and a tad walled up. Looks to be waist to chest high. The peak just south of the seasonal lifeguard tower is bigger than the reef and is throwing off some nice chest high lefts and only a sweeper there to enjoy it.

Definitely a pulse in the water; get out there and enjoy it. Make your own sunshine.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary

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The Swell is Still with Us

Its a dreary, drippy morning.
Just an hour off the 0.0 low tide it could use a bit more water. But we have clean conditions, no wind, waist high, 3 people out. Now if that's not a siren call, I don't know what is.

This could turn into a really good day surf wise.


Have a good one
Aloha
Gary




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Photos from the Morning Session at Del Mar!

A set pushing through the glass

The conditions this morning were prototypical summer in SoCal.  Warm water, waist, maybe chest high glass with both the reef and the inside working.  Long, long lulls and then 3 to 4 wave sets swinging in from the south.  Incoming tide, friendly crowd but no sun.  It looked so nice that I decided to squeeze in a photo session before I went out.  So, from my perspective, it was a perfect set up; photos and a surf session in one morning.  Ahh, life if good.

Do you notice anything different about Luke in this photo?  He was about 60 minutes away from finding out that he just got a position as the Music Director of the Coronado School of the Arts.  He must have sensed to good news coming his way!

Here we have a rare sighting of Ken surfing during daylight hours.  I've been trying to get a photo of him for a long time but he only surfs in the dark and I couldn't find any infrared film.  

Ken, coming off the bottom in a rare daylight session

Same wave a little further down the road.  Nice!

Chuck likes his new board.  He was dominating this morning

Unknown on a snappy inside section

Is this a pigdog?  Nice wave.

The inside was producing some tasty lefts this morning

When I paddled out later in the morning I told this guy I had taken some photos of him

he said "Why?  I haven't surfed in over a year"  Could have fooled me.

Have a good one
Aloha

Gary

All photos copyright Gary Erbeck

garyerbeck@gmail.com

Happy Friday!

Eddy backed off leaving us with glassy conditions. Waves are bigger than yesterday but a tad inconsistent. Totally flat between sets. Waist to chest high on the sets with fair shape. Lefts better than the rights. 12 guys out. Long boardable only.

Found this leopard shark washed up at 8th street yesterday afternoon.

Have a good one


Aloha
Gary


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Ride the Wind

Cause that's pretty much all there is to ride this morning. Waist to thigh walled up shore break. Not much else. No one out at the reef; 5 ass wiggling, bunny hopping groms out in the shore break in front of the grass.

Maybe tomorrow?

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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We Have a Pulse!

Unfortunately we also have a strong eddy this morning that has generated some early morning sickness. This has destroyed the slightly larger waves, turning them into waist high crumblers without much push or shape. 13 guys out; go figure.

Prepare mentally, this eddy is supposed to hang around for a few days; ugh!

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary



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Little by Little

And bit by bit it's getting.....smaller! Perfect, and I mean perfect, conditions but not so much with the waves. With the high tide these little knee high lines of glass aren't even breaking until about 100 ft from shore. Then they are snapped up by the 50#s and under short board crew that is patrolling the shore break like a pod of sting rays.

Great day to bust out the ocean kayak for some coastal cruising.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary

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Smooth

Got some glass going this morning! Waist high peaks here and there with fair shape. 10 guys out; so no crowd this morning. Looks inconsistent and the crowd is spread out. They're making you work this morning; have to chase down the better set waves. The sand bar in front if restaurants is bigger and steeper but no one is out there. The eddy is so thick that it seems like twilight not morning.

Worth a go out I'd say.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Oh My.....

It sucks. On shore. Bumpy surface conditions. Knee to waist high, very short period wind swell junk. And the water is still in the low, low 60's. And did I mention the tide is dropping on it's way to negative? Still, there are 14-15 guys out there bobbing around like ............(you fill in the blank).

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Heard of "Junk Bonds"?

Then you'll understand my description of today as "Junk Surf". It's there in name only. Broken up, mixed up and crossed up waist to chest high wind swell peaks with an occasional south set sneaking through. Junky, bumpy surface conditions. Poor to poor+ shape. And the onshore wind is already up and running.

Yet despite all that, there are 20+ guys in the water which I'm chalking up to, well, it's summer. Water temps still in the low 60's. At least the squadrons of sting rays have retreated.


Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Surfing's Triple Crown Event

Will never be held at 15th Street. So, that's why I booked a house on the north shore at Sunset point during the Triple Crown events in November/December! With any luck the O'Neil event held at Sunset will be happening then. Can't wait!

And now for something completely different. The morning surf report for Del Mar. Lumpy surface conditions; waist to chest high disorganized wind swell peaks and not much shape. Sets are larger but right on top of each other. Some very short corners here and there. 9 guys out. I heard that Terra Mar was pretty good yesterday, maybe I'll trek up there to see what's on tap.


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Doldrums

Moderate morning sickness, coming off a negative tide, crossed and jumbled up wind swell; not good. Not good at all. And the water temp is still in the low 60's. Waist high; 6 people out. Someday this stupid wind will stop and we will get some glass. And a decent swell. And warm water. And sun. Stay tuned. I'll let you know when that happens.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Pretty Funky

Low tide, moderate surface bump, onshore winds, no waves. Well, there actually some things that look like waves; weak, knee high crumblers without much shape, form or purpose. Chuck just got out and reports that the water temp has plunged to 61 ! So on top of everything else the water is very cold. Wonder if it pushed the colony of sting rays offshore? That would be a good thing. Anybody else catch Shark Week last night?


Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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