Got shorebreak?

How does chest to head high to plus shore pound sound to you? Enticing? Invigorating? Brutal? If number one or two above, then this is your kind of surf. If number three...well, you know.

Size has jumped up overnight with long, lined up waves trying to push through the 6.86 high tide but not able to scrape the bottom contours and break until 25 yards off the beach. There are some lulls which make paddling out not such a daunting task. The sets are showing a ways out but pretty much rolling right on by to thump on the beach. No wind to speak of; should be a nice winter beach day.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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High tide morning...

Just past a 7.0 tide (up against the cliffs high tide) which has sort of swamped the surf. But there are some set waves (chest high) that are managing to push through. Still, the take off zone is pretty far inside with fairly short rides. Long lulls between sets. About a dozen people out.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Long, Long lulls...

With some chest high sets. The lulls wouldn't be quite so bad except that the swell direction is almost due west so the sets are lined up and closing out; not much of a length of ride.

But it's going to be a great day for whale watching from the bluffs so grab your binoculars are get on down here!

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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The Morning After...

Swell has dropped off considerably leaving us with some waist high shore pound. Slightly rippled sea surface, calm winds, two people in the line up. It's going to be a great day at the beach so get out and enjoy it!! And leave the Santa hats at home...

BTW, what's up with the City of Del Mar spreading cheer and good will?


Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Smaller and inconsistent. Waist to chest with some light surface ripple. Large crowd jostling for some sparse wave action. Lots of unfamiliar faces in the line up. Still the shape is a lot better than yesterday and the tide is just now low.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Happy Monday!

Bigger. Waist to maybe chest high; slow and rolley. Larger lined up sets but, like yesterday, it's not breaking till well inside. Good conditions, smooth sea surface, frigid air temps.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Triple Crown at Sunset; Free Surf at Pipe

On Thursday, the 28th, the surf forecasts here in Oahu were all saying the same thing; large (15 to 20 feet) surf slamming into the north shore on Friday, the 29th. With sketchy conditions.  Coinciding with the Van's World Cup of Surfing at Sunset. Should be a mad house.  So, hey, load up the camera gear and let's go check it out! I don't really care all that much about surfing contests. I don't even know the names of the top pros (Ok, except for Slater). But I do enjoy watching the pros surf.

Conditions at Sunset were, in my opinion, kinda crazy. The waves were all over the place. And at 20+ feet that can mean a ton of water moving around.  The rip out to the line up was like a toilet bowl; swirling, gurgling and powerful. Every 30 minutes or so a huge set of about 5 waves would sweep in from the west and just close out the entire line up. It was impressive how the pros were able to make it all look so easy and chase down some choice waves and pretty much have their way with them.

After watching about 3 heats at the Sunset contest we decided to head up to Pipeline. It was big. And crowded. And big. The beach was quivering as the waves unloaded on the reef. And the surfing was unreal. It was some of the best surfing I've seen in a long, long while. Check it out:

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary

All photographs copyright Gary Erbeck 2013

Well, we've got...

high tide, 6-8 knot SW wind, funky swell, grey skies and very poor conditions. Knee to waist high mush balls trotting through with no shoulders, no faces or corners. Choppy, broken up sea surface with whitecaps here and there. Pretty much a bust surf wise. But the wind is refreshing.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Move along...

There is nothing to see here. Lumpy surface conditions with closed out knee to waist high shore break.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Some ripple on the water

But still no surf. Ankle to knee high shore break and that's about it. I really, really wish I had more to report but I don't.

It's just plain dead around here on the wave front.


Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Flatlining...

No signs of life; unresponsive. Yep, it's still flat and becoming more flat by the hour. But the sun is out, the birds are singing and it's warming up fast. So get outside and enjoy another freakishly great fall day in San Diego.


Have a good one
Aloha
Gary

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Going out on a limb here...

But I'm calling today flat with periods of flatness. Ankle to calf high shore break. No paddling required; you can walk out 50 yards or so, turn around and push into a screaming, smoking, sick shore break...ah, "thing" (to steal a phrase from Bruce Brown).

On the bright side there's not a cloud in the sky and we will soon be up to 75 degrees or so. Perfect beach weather. So,

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary

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A short poll

So, you're heading down the ramp to the lineup at 15th street and you see and read this sign:

Would you still go in? In puny, weak, gutless waves? Yeah, me either. So why are there 20 people bobbing around in the line up (including a father and his 7 year old son)?


Nice morning (cold but nice) with polluted water, fair conditions with some leftover WNW swell. Knee to waist high shore break with sets producing chest high shore break close outs.

Wait, I just saw someone read the sign and turn around and go back to his car! Amazing! Oh, and someone else who kept right on going into the water. Sigh...

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary

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Waves meet high tide

Definitely some lines showing this morning. Shoulder high sets on the reef, headhigh at Tres Palmas. Favoring the rights on the reef; more hollow at the beach break. Some lulls. Good conditions; fair shape. Oh, and it's cold out here.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Love that dirty water...

Even smaller than yesterday and we got some more runoff last night so the poo index is still a factor. Luckily the surf is small, weak and almost nonexistent. So there is little conflict between the dirty water or waves decision. Smooth, glassy conditions with a hint of offshore breeze. Water temp down in the low 60's so it's probably time to put away that spring suit until well...next spring. What's next, booties??!!

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Dramatic sky

Good conditions, offshore wind, but once again not much surf. Just now coming off a 4.7 tide which is swamping things a bit. Mostly knee to waist high shore break with some occasional larger set waves. No one out. Which is how it should be considering the rain from yesterday and early this morning. Right? Right?

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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Oily Glass!

The only thing missing are waves. Weak calf to knee high shore break. 8 or so people standing around ( yes, standing) in the line up waiting for one they can push into. A below average (way below) surf day here in Del Mar.

Have a good one
Aloha
Gary


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