W/WNW Gulf Swell Fun But Inconsistent

I've been tracking this swell for almost a week. There have been so few real ground swells to track this Winter/Spring that I definitely needed the practice. I put it in our area at 9PM last night, and that's just about when it arrived.

First light was showing 4-6 ft. waves at the Point and the Arena. But the swell didn't really have enough juice to overcome the tide. So while the peaks and first drops looked good, the waves were mushing out on the inside. It got better on the lowering tide.

I paddled out at Sarge's at 1140 and surfed for a little over two hours. Sarge's was small, everything was pretty small on my reefs, but there were a few fun ones. Mostly waves were in the knee to chest high range. But some sets pushed in a few shoulder high waves, and some even had long walls to work, which were rare, but super fun.

Weather was good. Sunny with high cirrus clouds, prefacing the incoming rain storm which is supposed to fill in tomorrow. Wind wasn't bad at paddle out, but got increasingly strong and gusty as the day wore on. Waits for good waves were long, and in the gusty wind, I spent all my time slowly stroking on one side, then the other, just to stay in one spot. To rest I'd get on my knees and paddle, or sit straddling the board...and paddle.

All in all it was a fun day of surfing, and it may be the best day all week if the conditions deteriorate as the forecast predicts.

Apr 6, 2009 (M)

In: 1140
Out: 1355
AT= 61F to 60F
WT= 50F
Wx: Clear and sunny with some high cirrus clouds
Tide: 2.6' Falling to .3'
Wind: Moderate to light then increasing to winds and gusts of up to 14 mph
Sea Surface: Wind ripples to light wind chop
10-0 Angulo EPS/Epoxy Custom SUP with Infinity Ottertail carbon fiber paddle

Fin set-up: Thruster with K2D2 4.75" center fin (fourth mark up from back) and Future Fiberglass YU (actual fin not shown)
Bathymetry: Rock reefs
Deep Water Swell and Wave Face Heights CDIP Archive
Buoy: NWS (Nearshore)
1130: 3.6 feet @ 13.3 WNW
1200: 4.6 feet @ 15.4 W (2 - 4 ft. faces)
1230: 3.9 feet @ 14.3 W
1300: 3.9 feet @ 15.4 W (2 - 4 ft. faces)
1330: 3.9 feet @ 14.3 WNW
1400: 3.9 feet @ 15.4 W (2 - 4 ft. faces)
1430: 4.6 feet @ 15.4 W