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(Previous) 02/08/2006 (Next)
LOLA Buoys Rock!.
It's like peeling layers from an onion.
Continued below...
In the previous tip I demonstrated the power of LOLA's "Swell Only" filter. This time, take a look at the "Height v. Period" tab.

This feature fingerprints the swell. Look at the bright purple(25secs) dominant Monday. Then notice how the darker purple(20secs) overtakes late on Monday. The red(17secs) shows strong Monday night continuing firm through the present.

What do we get out of all this? First, the offshore buoy shows most of the energy in the 20+ periods, meaning a very selective event(which we saw), and jacking-up wave heights in shallow water. Secondly, notice the steady nature of the 17 second energy -- lasting over 36-hrs! So we also see the swell's duration.

Knowing that these waves take roughly a day to reach Point Conception, there's still time to catch some fun surf at exposures. Consult the Surfline forecast as to where those areas are.

Like what you see here? Want to get this type of detailed forecast information on a daily basis, for every major surf region on earth? Then SIGN UP NOW for a Surfline Premium Membership. (First month's free.)

WHAT IS LOLA?

LOLA is the world's only automated global surf forecasting tool. LOLA can forecast waves right down the street, or it can predict surf conditions at the top spots around the globe - breaks like Tavarua, Tahiti and Jeffrey's Bay.

LOLA uses the NOAA Wavewatch III engine (running on our own computers) with Surfline-modified data from various wind models (AVN, GFS, MRF). Then LOLA combines this information with empirical data we've programmed into her gained from over 30 years of surf and weather analysis here at Surfline.

LOLA also gathers real-time data from offshore buoys to measure wave pulses from storms around the world every hour. She taps into orbiting satellites to measure hurricane-force winds and tremendous wave heights in the heart of raging storms when huge ships are running for cover. She computes near-shore wave animations measuring detailed wave heights along the coast, taking into account how swells are distorted by offshore islands and the continental shelf.

When you add it all up, LOLA is the ultimate forecasting tool for surfers looking for timely, accurate and comprehensive information about waves.

Initially, we created LOLA as a proprietary tool for Surfline forecasters. But we decided to share the knowledge and give Surfline's Premium Members the chance to use LOLA themselves, to give them the best chance to score more good surf more often.

Not a Premium Member? Then CLICK HERE for a free LOLA demo.

If you are already a Premium Member, please proceed straight to the LOLA home page.