All caps!
A very large swell is headed toward San Francisco promising waves so big, so bawdy, that the National Weather Service, not known for poetic over-pronouncements, informed folk who live Sonoma and Monterey counties if they go to the beach between 9 am on Sunday and 9 am on Monday then they risk “certain death.”
You recall, of course, that the World Surf League sniffed the possibility of large to extra-large waves many days out and preemptively postponed the Mavericks event, which they then also postponed Tuesday and are now keeping fingers crossed for Thursday when the waves will hopefully be between shoulder and head high.
But back to Sonoma and Monterey counties and the “certain death” zone. Let’s read more about that!
The storms forecast to pummel the Bay Area this weekend—one Friday night and a second, much larger one anticipated Sunday—will bring a particularly dangerous element to San Francisco’s coastline, as the National Weather Service [NWS] warns of huge and potentially deadly waves.
NWS is predicting a “very large west-northwest swell late [in the] weekend.” According to science info site Sciencing, “swells are collections of waves produced by storm winds raging hundreds of miles out to sea, rather than the product of local winds along beaches.”
The NWS forecast warns that this weekend will be the “largest wave event this season” on SF shores, with “large breaking waves” ranging from 25 to 50 feet in height, or even exceeding that in “favored locations.”
According to the wave warning:
A potent storm system […] will create a dynamic fetch zone where the strongest winds of the storm system will continuously increase the energy within a swell train on the storms southern flank, resulting in a very large, long period wave train aimed at the California coast. […] The largest waves are then forecast to arrive Sunday night through Monday morning, with peak swells of 17 to 21 ft at 19 to 21 seconds expected.
All fine and good and topped off with the tweet…
I wish I lived in San Francisco. I mean, no I don’t not at all but if I did live there I would use this coming storm to practice my Lt. Dan fantasy. I’d borrow one of Erik Logan’s SUPs, lash myself to the paddle and make history.
But do you live in the Bay Area? Would you be brave enough to go to the beach and give live updates? Not for us… legally I can’t ask… but for your social media pals?
Commented on Disqus? Log out, tap the Disqus button, and your old name and comments come back. The box is ours.
Your comments are still here. Every one of them.
Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.
Connect Disqus to reveal.
I’m south of the Bay Area and live 6 blocks from the wild Pacific. I have my camera ready for tomorrow. Plus, I can do 15 cartwheels in 3 min. I have the day off and everything.
Ahhh yeah. I can hear them rumblings now. All lined up and fat. I just replied to myself!
Just heard another fat set…slammo jammo!
“Lt. Dan Fantasy” is the name of my new punk band!
I’m in that little green slice on the south end of Monterey Bay- wan’t any tsunamis this AM, downright glassy although typical formless shorebreak.
The weather service spoke.
The WSL took heed
It’s astounding how many people die at Ocean Beach. Well, not really, actually, it’s heavier than most beaches on earth. But still, the tourists come and the tourists die.
I heard that French bloke is doing a strike mission.
If I can scam a work-from-home day tomorrow, I’ll put something together. Right now, there’s no notable swell. It’s pretty typical pre-storm weather. Gusty southerly winds. Warm air — the kind that makes you always feel overdressed no matter what you wear.
From a totally impartial point of view: Did OW dawg just get screwed? His 3s seemed comparable to the other 4s, no?
Big Fort Point on the right tide with a long period swell is a beautiful thing! Get on your SUP Chas, stroke out under the bridge, and be sure you watch out for the rhino!
Seriously though, it might suprise you how many tourists die on beaches between Monterey and Sonoma. Little Monastery Beach in Carmel kills about 1 a year in the shorebreak. Ocean Beach is a treacherous motherfucker even when you know what’s up. People get swept off the cliffs in Monterey in places that seem perfectly safe.
The mean sea + tons of tourist – any meaningful lifeguard infrastructure = too many sub-optimal vacations
I’m not exactly thriving right now, so happy to check out beach.
I’ll instagram the coming week of waist high blown-out waves around where I live if anyone’s interested? Spoiler alert: lots of drinking, grumpiness, threats of divorce.
Oh fuck off mr/ms/mrs googles “all caps” and pastes this shit on all comments sections that show up
99% probable death, paddle out. But don’t fuck with certain death.
“Risk certain death”?!? Definitely maybe?
Yeah good point. That’s like Subaru’s “Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle.”
I surf death
Well, I’m glad that the State has stepped up and saved all the idiots from walking the shoreline.
Chas, start drafting up a story about how KP is going to call off Pipeline for being too big today. I’ve got that gut feeling the WSL is gonna fuck us all again.
Is he gonna? He totally is….
Breaking news: Strider just said its 100 percent on via instagram – Strider for commish!
God I wish.
Law of averages says you made a good call. But the Dubbya Ass Elle has allowed them to paddle out today…
E-Lo currently drooling over the forecast… “Epic day at Berkeley Marina @infinity_sup #wintersurfing #epic #bbwwt #oprahsbookclubfantasy #personalphotogsrule #speedblur #suplyfe #milkandcookies #tylerperryboys #wegucci”