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FEBRUARY ENDS WITH A BANG
Another solid west swell lights up California
Icing on the cake, cherry on top, whatever you call it, last weekend's West Coast swell was another notch in one of the best winters in recent memory. "It's the Golden Winter to be a California surfer," Alex Gray froths. "You can surf whatever kind of wave you want 'cause everywhere has been as good as it gets."
Gray spent this particular swell running the gamut, charging down to Todos for a freesurf session before Sunday's contest, nabbing a couple bombs before enduring the "worst wipeout of his life" and then driving all night back to LA to score some shacktime in the South Bay on Monday morning. "I surfed a 9'2" on Sunday and then a 5'11" on Monday," he laughed. "Where else can you do that?"
Gray is not alone in his froth. Surfers up and down the Golden State are so surf-bloated that average lineups remain pretty uncrowded, and even when it's all-time-best-ever (which has been happening about once a week) guys are fairly civil. It's almost like an El-Nino-fueled Surf Stimulus Package: Shapers and wetsuit makers and ding repair guys and taquerias and gas stations from Black's to Rincon to Steamer Lane have seen a definite uptick in business over the last few months.
"It's been the best winter I've ever seen -- I've broken 14 boards! -- and the old local crusty guys are saying it's the best since '83," Gray continues. Indeed, back in September, we did a story on how El Nino would affect the surf, and Sean Collins pointed out then: "One of the most famous years was the winter of 1982-83 and comparing the trend leading to that event and the current El Niño, we see some similarities."
We asked Surfline forecaster Jonathan Warren about this particular swell. "A previous NPAC storm slid into the Gulf of Alaska and opened the door for another developing frontal storm to swing in underneath it," he explained. "This new storm system tracked toward the West Coast through the lower latitudes of the Eastern NPAC and within close proximity to California. As a result, a consistent pulse of W-WNW swell was unleashed with a wide-angle range (270-300 degrees) and a wide range of periods (11-17sec). This swell mix proved to be a good one to light up nearly all spots of the West Coast with surf and the well-exposed winter breaks with solid surf. Furthermore, the storm system outran the swell and swept through the West Coast over Saturday. Therefore, good high pressure conditions moved over the region behind the passing front and just in time for the swell on Sun/Mon (Feb 28th-March 1st)."
And while the last weekend's swell sent some bombs to Todos, the regular-guy hot spot was the South Bay. Gray laughs: "all kinds of Orange County guys have been coming up to LA this winter" -- and they're not alone. EC Hurricane Hunter Alek Parker made his way westward for the swell as well, and had a super session with Timmy Reyes and a host of locals in some heaving sand-bottom tubes on Sunday.
"That was definitely the most powerful beachbreak I'd ever surfed in California," Parker explains. "Almost like a mini Mexican beachie."
Parker's in town filming with Timmy and making a documentary about how surfer's lives revolve around cold fronts and the waves they create and how they travel across the continent. Needless to say, Sunday's session made the trip. "It was bigger than it looked, and it looked pretty big," he said. "And if you were in the right spot, these things would come in, like giant wedges. It was rad."
Even East Coast Hurricane Hunters have made their way
Alek Parker, in town filming a documentary about surfers and cold fronts. "It was bigger than it looked, and it looked pretty big."
Defintely the most powerful beachbreak I'd ever surfed in California -- almost like a mini Mexican beachie.
It was shorebreak but took 15 minutes to get out, you had to time it.
If you were in the right spot, these things would come in like giant wedges.
Timmy paddled out, then went in and switched boards, but didn't have a leash. Timmy's a madman, every time there's waves he's all over the place.
Alex: after the worst wipeout of my life, I drove 8 hours
It's been like that once a week since October -- best winter I've ever seen, and all the locals are saying it's the best since 1983.
I leave on a trip and the surf's pumping, I come back and the surf's pumping. It's crazy.
All kinds of dudes from OC have been coming up, I think it's the first time any of 'em have surfed up here.
I've broken 14 boards this winter -- It's the golden year to be a California surfer. You can surf whatever kind of wave you want 'cause everywhere has been as good as it gets.
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