New South Fills In Over Weekend

June 28, 2008 (Sa)
The new south swell started filling in early Saturday morning. Numbers were still weak (nearshore buoy showing 1.3 feet at 14-15 seconds SW, and farshore buoy reading a sporadic 3-4 feet at 14-15 seconds SSW) but the CDIP is beginning to show that the swell may develop some pop Sunday and Monday. Webcams look surprisingly good and the best south swell breaks are looking hopeful.
June 29, 2008 (Su)
I paddled out Sunday morning and into a combo swell. The south swell influence was putting up the usual short, sectiony rides through all the places. It was so dark, smoky and gloomy, with near identical contrast to the water and sky that it was more difficult to see, way beyond the usual time past sunrise.

Two surfers were floating around at Sarge's, taking small waves in the advancing tide. Nothing great, but better than nothing. I however, opted for some bigger lines that I knew would be coming in up coast, so I headed to GDubs where there were already three guys out. That fattened to eight within a half hour. I sat off peak and bagged the wide ones, scoring a bunch of waist to chest high rides. With church beckoning I called it good after an hour and a half. Rode one in from Sarge's and then out.

It was so dark I couldn't get any good pics with the camera, so will have to settle for blurry, which at least gives something of an idea of what it was like. Even when I moved the ISO to 400, the shots were way soft. Since I've gotten some decent shots in the past in weather like this, I'm thinking a lot of it was operator error. I probably didn't focus correctly.

A look at last years journal postings for June shows how different and how similar things were. While there was no definitive south swell in June 2007 like we just recently experienced, many waves were delivered by some excellent wind swell. Also, the beaches had some very decent sandbars, unlike this year where there doesn't seem like there's much out there. I don't surf up coast, but the reports filtering in have been that the surf this year has been very good.

Normally, we Bay area dwellers are gifted with some of the cleanest air in the county. I've heard it said that the air we breath is washed and cleaned seven times as it makes it's way across the Pacific and into NorCal. Not so these days. Drift smoke from the Indians and Basin Complex fires, which has burned over 80,000 acres of wilderness and wildland alike, has literally blanketed a large area with heavy smoke haze, casting an orange pallor on every sunlit surface. Southwest winds are blowing the fire born pollution right into our neighborhoods. A summer weather pattern is in place and onshore winds are forecast starting next week. This may help to clean the air.
June 29, 2008 (Su)
In: 0537
Out: 0730
AT= 54 degrees
WT= 55.6 degrees at the nearshore buoy
Wx: Overcast and gray, marine layer at 1500 ft.
Tide: 1.7 Rising to 2.7
Wind: Calm
Sea Surface: Glassy
Buoy: NWS
0500: 4.3 feet @ 10 WNW
0600: 3.9 feet @ 17.4 SSW
0700: 3.9 feet @ 10 WNW
0800: 3.6 feet @ 14.8 SSW
10'4" Angulo SUP with Infinity paddle
Fin set-up: Thruster with Bluecoil 5.5" center fin and FCS Occy sides
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
CDIP: (0600 hours) 1.9 feet at 9 seconds from 315 degrees and 2.3 feet at 17 seconds from 175 degrees