The Morning Report
Get the news and information you need to take on the day.
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2006 | Today is a small day for surf along the California coast. Size picks up some Friday, but some slight precipitation chances are in the forecast. We have some moderately sized south swell due on the 18th, and it looks like we could see some bigger southern hemi surf during the weekend of the 21st-22nd. We’ve also got our eye on two systems swirling around in the Tropics: Norman and Olivia.
Right now, the California Buoy is checking in at 4 feet with 8-second periods. Closer to the coast, the Half Moon Bay buoy is at 4 feet with 9-second periods and Cape San Martin buoy is at 3 feet with 10-second periods.
The energy on these buoys is primarily steeply angled NW swell. The southerly element is smaller in the 1.0-1.4 foot range.
Overall, the swell energy in the water shows NW periods averaging 10 seconds from 320 degrees and SW periods running 12 seconds from 180 degrees.
In SoCal, wave heights are running knee high most everywhere with south facing breaks seeing some rare waist high set waves.
Northern California and the Central Coast are seeing waist to chest high surf at most west facing breaks. South facing breaks are running knee high.
The tide is slow to recuperate from that Full Moon last Friday. This is making for a radical tidal swing with highs hitting the 6-foot zone mid to late morning. This excessive spring tide will inevitably tend to slow things down a bit, especially around the reefs and points during the high tide times. Look for improvement in the tide as the week progresses. Click here for tide tables.
Water temperatures are averaging 63 degrees in San Diego, 62 in Orange County, 64 in LA, 62 in Ventura County, 63 in Santa Barbara, 59 along the central coast, and 57 degrees in NCal.
Winds as of 7:00 this morning were light and variable most everywhere with some southerly eddy texture showing up mostly in San Diego and in some areas of the Central Coast. Afternoon onshores are expected to reach 8-12 mph, mainly from the SSW. Similar conditions are expected over the next few days. For current wind readings and detailed forecasts for your area, please check out the wind section below.
SW and NW due Friday the 13th…[more]
South swell due on 18th…[more]
Tracking substantial SW for 21st-22nd…[more]
New State of our Surf Report (Oct. 5)…[more]