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SPAIN GOES OFF
Series of swells and great conditions grace Spanish coastline over holidays
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January 7, 2009
29672 visits
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While the Pacific Ocean took a serious break over Christmas and New Year's, the North Atlantic popped off swells like fireworks.
The first swell was generated early on Monday 12/22 from a strong low pressure system located around 58N 36W. Buoy observations over the Western Atlantic west of the storm center showed steady 38-knot winds, with some locations recording gusts well over 50 knots.
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Forerunners of this first swell hit Wednesday and filled in through the day and then held into Thursday. A second pulse of swell was generated on Wednesday from the same general region - this swell blended in Thursday through Saturday. That swell leveled off Sunday/Monday but small pulses of WNW swell kept surfable waves in the water all freaking week during New Year's -- and with a giant high pressure system over the country, conditions were clean the whole time. Which is exactly why guys like Billabong XXL nominee Ibon Amatriain and tow partner Mikel Agote spent most of the holidays on the road, exploring new big-wave breaks all over Northern Spain. And why regular guys got their fill too, both in nooks and crannies during the big stuff and at more open reefs and beaches during the super clean conditions. Not a bad way to start off the year, to be sure. Stay tuned to Surfline's FREE international forecast -- looks like a possible XXL swell hitting the Old World early next week. (And go to amatriainagote.com for more info on Ibon and Mikel.) MORE SURF NEWS SURFLINE HOME PAGE |