Santa Barbara scenes

Hello Friends,
I’m fetched up on the shores of California once more. And is it ever tiny. Most places are so microscopic that they could not possibly be surfed. And where there are waves, for the most part it’s in the ankle to knee high range. But, as can happen at this time of year, there are very occasional one or two wave long period sets, and such were turning up every now and then at local Santa Barbara west swell magnet Sands beach which is just west of Isla Vista, the bedroom community adjacent to the University of California at Santa Barbara campus.
Figuring there were no waves, I hopped on my pushie for a 25km loop that would give me a chance to see the beaches. The first picture I took was at the eastern end of Isla Vista beach, looking west. A tiny but very long west line was coming in, so I thought there might possibly be something out at Sands (which is on the other side of that treelined point in the distance.

Tiny west line showing at Isla Vista beach, (with Deveraux point in the distance).

I continued west through the student-crowded streets of Isla Vista to the bike trail running out to Deveraux point and Sands. There were some people out messing around with longboards at Deveraux, but it was ankle to calf high at best.

Deveraux point long boarders

When I went around Deveraux to look at Sands, it looked to be just as flat. Plus there were only half a dozen people along the whole beach (usual minimum crowd is 2-3x that). But as I watched, a waist high set wave came in to have its picture taken. Amazing.

Wave of the day? Sands beach set appears

Saturday Surf Report

Still some swell but a bit wonky……..

Shoulder to head high south swell waves still pushing in to the northern beaches but its a bit wonky. Finding a shoulder to slide on is a challenge. Water is a very nice temp though. Worth a paddle.

Too much tide early for Newport…..

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The Goat’s Surf Forecast

The Goat’s Surf Forecast

Surf forecast issued Thursday 20 February 2020 (or 20022020 :): Seven day outlook for Sydney:

Nice day for the beach today… except for the messy surf… the relentless wind… the murky water… the masses of seaweed… the floating driftwood… and the cloudy/sunny/cloudy/sunny blue sky sequencing>> And yet, a strangely pleasantly mellow day to contemplate the whole coastal scene … perhaps to doze…

There will be waves.. and wind tomorrow, with the size decreasing over the weekend and thru the week. But with the topup the ocean has had from recent rains flowing out of the drains, rivers, creeks etc, I wouldn’t expect the other sea conditions to be improving in a hurry… maybe later in the week. At least it looks like it’ll be mostly nice weather for more contemplation.

Friday: somewhere around 2 metres or so at places open to dead South swell, with occasional sets

Saturday: somewhere in the 1-2 metre range dead South, going down through the day… occasional sets

Sunday: around 1 metre or so East South East

Monday: ditto East

Tuesday: 1ish metres East

Wednesday: 1ish metres North East, before a southerly change later

Thursday: up a little at dead South spots, somewhere in the 1-2 metre range

Stay well

TG

Up in the Air

Winds

https://www.windy.com/-33.855/151.216?-34.373,151.216,8

Down in the Sea

Water temp, if you’re really keen to know, is around 23.

Tides

Weather from the Bureau

7 day Town Forecasts

Precis Icon	Location	Min	Max
	Sydney	–	24
	Penrith	–	27
	Liverpool	–	26
	Terrey Hills	–	23
	Richmond	–	27
	Parramatta	–	25
	Campbelltown	–	25
	Bondi	–	22

Solid, south, straightish…….

Swell has come up again from the south overnight. Open beaches are shutting down but there are likely good waves in southern corners. Not the classic conditions of yesterday but worth having a hunt for a wave.

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Flash bangs last night but clear this morning

Hello Friends

Tapping out a quick message on the way to the airport aboard the B1. There were a few people on long craft chasing knee high and glassy lines near the pool. No real sign of significant energy immediately north from there. I reckon you could find waist pluses at dy or curly tho.

Swell is around 1.5 m at 12s from 138d (SE). Tide is currently headed to the low shortly before 1335.

Smooth but lully

Hello Friends,
Swell has slipped down again overnight. Out at sea it was 1.7m at 9-12 sec from 146° (SE), and along the beaches the surface conditions were glassy smooth as of 0700. Tide was dropping to the low at noon. Skies were largely clear.
Beachwatch was still warning yesterday that pollution was possible at all Sydney beaches. Another day of sunny conditions should help reduce the bad microbes and with luck more of the driftwood etc, will be washing up rather than floating around in the line up. There’s heaps of weed around too, so depending on currents etc, you may find yourself pulling handfuls off your leggie.I’ve been watching dy for awhile and there are some nice sets at the peak and even one at the point. But the lulls are really long and basically flat. There were 20 plus hopefuls on the peak so opportunities were extremely limited. Lots of people up the beach toward longy but if anything it looked even less consistent. Scroll down to see the set pics…Outlook is for wind to come up from the north and get into the choppy range later this morning. Tomorrow looks like the same and then Thursday is shaping to be southerly with a ramping swell. By that stage your correspondent will be on the other side of the Pacific.
Have a top old Tuesday!Weather Situation
A high pressure system south of the continent is slowly moving southeast. Northeasterly winds will prevail over the New South Wales waters before a southerly change moves through tomorrow. A low pressure system will develop near the southeast of the state on Wednesday in response to the front, possibly strengthening winds and developing hazardous surf conditions, before rapidly moving away to the east.Forecast for Tuesday until midnight
Winds
Northerly around 10 knots, increasing to 15 to 20 knots in the late morning. Winds reaching up to 25 knots offshore in the late evening.
Seas
Around 1 metre, increasing to 1 to 1.5 metres during the afternoon.
Swell
Southerly 1.5 metres.
Weather
Partly cloudy. 60% chance of showers. The chance of a thunderstorm, possibly severe.
Wednesday 19 February
Winds
Northerly 15 to 25 knots, shifting southwesterly early in the morning. A second, southerly, change moving through in the late evening.
Seas
1 to 2 metres, decreasing to 1 to 1.5 metres during the morning.
1st Swell
South to southeasterly 1 to 1.5 metres, decreasing to around 1 metre during the afternoon.
2nd Swell
Northeasterly around 1 metre.
Weather
Mostly sunny. The chance of a thunderstorm in the morning and early afternoon.
Thursday 20 February
Winds
Southerly 15 to 20 knots becoming southeasterly below 10 knots during the evening.
Seas
1.5 metres, decreasing to 1 metre during the morning.
1st Swell
Southerly 1.5 metres, increasing to 2 to 3 metres during the morning.
2nd Swell
East to northeasterly around 1 metre.
Weather
Partly cloudy.
Caution
Large and powerful surf conditions in the morning are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as crossing bars by boat and rock fishing.

Set of the hour at dy point

One of the best sets at the peak

Golden, hazy morning waves……

Lovely golden late summer morning. Warm water, head high waves and smooth faces. Take you pick of the many places that will be good to surf today. Mona looked nice early and will improve with the outgoing tide…….

Nice little trimming waves at The Basin…..

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A couple of north coast photos from cylone Uesi……..

Saturday 15 February at Angourie Back Beach point. Cooking!

Angourie Point on Fri 14 Feb. Large sets rumbling through but no takers.

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Still some waves……..but what about last week!

Still some swell around. Smooth conditions. Could see a few out at Collaroy when we rolled past on the B1 bus, which means there must be the odd set coming through. Beaches further north picking up more swell (as ever).

Made a lightening trip up to Yamba on the weekend. Will post a couple of photos of what we ran into.

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