Full size images below if you want to click on them and see full screen.
This was actually image 1 of a 3 shot sequence. Officers Club on September 8 2011 from Hurricane Katia, after the swell had dropped a few feet by early afternoon. Photos by OldwaveriderNice shoulder to head high right.
I have a couple of photos here I took at Officers Club, last Thursday (9/8/11) afternoon shots…And Maria’s waves are coming in for at least Tuesday thru Thursday, and probably a day longer.
Maria’s first noticeable waves will be in Tuesday morning. Waist plus at the Cape, and it should be chest high plus down South. SW winds from daybreak to 9ish, switching to NNW by 10 ish and onshore by 11 or so.
Wednesday could be some head high waves South and chest or less at the Cape.Winds looking to WNW at daybreak, switching to NNW by 10 ish and then North. Wednesday looks to be the swell peak mid-day maybe but it shouldn’t drop much on Thursday.
Thursday , possible chest at the Cape and shoulder to head high down South. Might be slight offshore, but by Tuesday night I’ll have a more accurate wind guess 🙂
Same wave.
The photos were from last Thursday (9/8/11). In the morning it was about the same size as Wednesday but not as many open shoulders. More closeouts. Size was still 1 to3 foot overhead plus, and started dropping by noon. I took these photos around 1 PM, but they were still some really fun looking waves. I have a lot to learn on camera settings 🙂
There may be some chest high surf down South if you’re willing to gamble the drive. Maria actually came in a little at the 120 buoy last night and even trickled in there late morning yesterday.
We have offshore winds this morning, so at the right spot down South a little, even though it’s high tide at 8:10 AM, at 10 AM you may have some decent size around chest with SSW winds for an hour or so. We will update this in a couple of hours, but just for those wanting a Monday morning surf adjustment 🙂
A beautiful resort now on the site of the once desolate surf break of K-38 Mexico. Taken by a surf buddy Rob in Newport Beach, CaSeptember 11, 2011…10 years passed. I was in Lakeland, on Sunday morning after the attack on Tuesday. I heard the most beautiful and incredible version of “Let There Be Peace on Earth” sang in church as a solo by a woman at First Methodist Church, a woman who was in Manhattan 5 days berfore on the day the Planes hit the Towers. Needless to say, she had a fair amount of emotion when she sang the song to her home congregation in Lakeland. (this is actually a blog and not a surf report so I have to digress once in a while 🙂
Tropical Storm Maria update…Maria models have dropped a bit in size, not much but some.
Wednesday looks to be the biggest day still, with slight NNWoffshore winds at North wind breaks. Probably overhead by a foot or two down south with sideshore winds, and chest to head high in the Cape through North Cocoa Beach in the semi-glass to maybe glassy wind direction. By Monday night I should have more accurate wind data.
Thursday is now looking to be the glassiest day, in the chest to head high plus range depending on where you surf. As we always mention, winds can be iffy, at least until 36 to 48 hours prior to the day. But it looks as though West winds for the better part of the morning and then onshore by noon.
Friday it looks to drop off, but by Wednesday we should have something more definitive.
We did have something hit the 120 in the 3.5 to 4.3 foot range at 11 seconds, so there could be something ridable at the right tides today, but with slight onshore winds.
Count your blessings with all this great surf we’ve had this year 🙂
Clay in a sweet barrel in Punta Mango, El Salvador. Photo provided by my buddy Rob in Newport Beach, Ca.
TS Maria update…How the Waves were today;The Cape and Cocoa Beach got blocked out today, big time. 😦
I surfed Lori Wilson Park, and it was fun for awhile, thigh to occasional waist high, glassy. Definitely less closeouts than the last 3 days.
O’ Club was solid chest high and there was some shoulder high sets according to a couple of friends that surfed there.
TS Maria is now following the familiar cane alley as the last few. Definitely not a reason to get complacent 🙂 (a natural alarmist thing maybe)
Wednesday appears to be the biggest day. The image here shows the model at Stormpulse.com with Maria East and slightly North of Jacksonville, 650 miles out as a Category 2. Based on that position, Wednesday morning could be the big day with offshore winds. The storm generally needs to be east of us and slightly North to have more Westerly than NW’ly winds. (Grammar and Spell check is not an option. These posts take an OCD person 45 minutes 🙂
Hurricane Maria, the Friday 5 PM 9-9-11, projected model position for this Wednesday. The arrow I drew, shows the hopeful position on Wednesday morning so the winds would be offshore. Image compliments of Stormpulse.com
Thursday could be the second , but smaller glassy day.
The storm is moving WNW at 16 mph, not that that is interesting data, but it is moving faster than Katia, so thus less days of glassy waves, but we’ll see.
Anyhow, I hope y’all got some of the best waves of your Florida surfing life. I got my best Florida ride at O’ Club Wednesday.
The photo is a guy named Clay, a friend of a friend Rob, who lives in Newport Beach, Ca. Punta Mango, El Salvador, I believe in 2009.
A nice waist high line in K-38 Mexico. My buddy Rob surfing in March of this year. A surf break that myself and a buddy Cliff surfed many years ago, camping on the Cliff's 150 feet above the beach.
The Waves Thursday at O’ Club kept trying to hit double overhead today, just like Wednesday, but only made it to the 3 foot overhead, with an occassional bigger set wave. I don’t think that it was as good as yesterday. The closeouts were a little more dominant, but because of the size, at least 100 yard rides were to be had, unlike the 1 and half to 2 football field rides that were for the taking if you waited 30 minutes for “That” wave on Wednesday at O’ Club.
Johnson Avenue was similar for closeouts and had some head high plus waves early, the Pier a little bigger. The considerable size difference we had both yesterday and today (Thursday) from the Cape on one end of the spectrum to Patrick and Satellite Beach allowed for the waves down South to hold up much longer for some really nice shoulders and some pretty intense power.
Katia is delivering it’s last real day of surf for us Friday. We should see waist-high at Canaveral , IF, it’s not blocked out by the Cape’s point sticking out into the Ocean. It ought to be chest to shoulder-high as you work your way toward Satellite Beach. The winds should be West switching to SW around noon or one, and then to SSW to onshore.
Maria looks to be sending us some swell Sunday thru Thursday, but keep in mind the models are still developing, and it is heading West so until it becomes a Cane, the models can diminish quite a bit.
Fun waves we’ve had huh, between Irene and Katia.
If you make it out Friday morning, have fun and take pictures and feel free to send them to me.
Tropical Storm Maria is still 2600 miles Southeast of us, but by Monday it will be quite close. Compliments of stormpulse.com
My apologies. I should have stuck to my original gut instinct, as I shared on last nights post/report, regarding the size. This swell that only hit 6 feet at 14 seconds at the 120 buoy created 10 foot plus solid faces this morning at O’ Club.
It was 3 to 4 foot overhead (on the major sets, with an ocassional, rogue wave too, maybe 1 foot bigger on the face) at O’ Club, probably a foot bigger at RC’s. Word was, it was closing out pretty bad in Satellite Beach, but O’ Club, if you let the closeouts roll by, epic form with no closeout was to be had.
If you tried to make a full bottom turn, short board or longboard, you got pounded. I learned fast. Take the drop and slam hard halfway down, and back up under the lip and there were plenty 150 to 200 yard rides to be had.YES, THAT’S WHAT I SAID. THE SET WAVES AROUND 11 AM, IF YOU LET THE CLOSEOUTS PASS BY, AND THERE WERE PERFECT WAVES ALL THE WAY TO THE BEACH. THE PADDLE OUT WAS PROBABLY 250 TO 300 YARDS, THUS THE 200 YARD RIDES. Lefts and Rights, incredible, perfect glass, light winds, and no crowds!
The first paddle out took 6 minutes. The 2nd was brutal, 18 minutes. The first session was the long rides. The 2nd was more rides but more dumpage, do to fatigue 🙂
Thursday,overhead down south again, PROBABLY THE SAME SIZE AS WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR HALF OF THE DAY ! WSW to noonish then SW 4 to 10 mph winds, glassy and mid-tide, high going low is the best time.
Friday, waist to shoulder high. (Cape verses Satellite) Glassy WNW to West to SW, 4 to 6 mph.
Sea Lice again...
Still some Sea Lice out there, so prepare for those big mosquito bites ;( Plus there is still Moon Jelly fish laying on the beach.
Tropical Storm Maria is about 2600 miles SouthEast of us and ought to be 650 miles east and a little south of Miami on Monday.
Nate is in the Gulf, and could cause some issues if it heads Northeast.
Enjoy epic Thursday!
Forgive my backing down on the original size mentioned last night.
It never hit more than 6 feet something at the 120 buoy last night (Tuesday nite, its 5:24 AM Wednesday now), it did hit 8.5 feet at the 20 mile buoy but that means nothing if the 120 never delivered the size to the 20 mile buoy. It’s not near enough to give us 3 to 4 foot overhead waves, if we didn’t have even larger waves hit the 120, like say 10 or 12 feet out there. The winds were South to SSW last night at the 120 which on weaker swells could hold it back from coming in to us, but I don’t see how this stopped a hurricane swell in the 14 to 15 second period range. But it did. I’ll go check the waves at 6:30 or so, but I imagine the best we’ll see is chest high at the Cape and slight overhead down south.
GET EXCITED THOUGH. Okay, it won’t be huge, but…………we still get awesome waves for today thru possibly Friday. The winds will be west in some angle of another, SW sometime today, moving to maybe NW on Friday, but hey, chest high to slight overhead is GREATTTTTTTTTTTTT! My apologies for the pessimism of no 3 to 4 foot overhead stuff. We got lots of fun waves here 🙂
Anyhow, We may see overhead waves down south, but I don’t see how it could hit 3 to 4 feet overhead when it never hit even 10 or 12 feet at the 120. We’ll see; I imagine it still has to be head high or slight overhead anyhow.
Below continues my update from last night, from before the 120 did its thing or not, last night.
Wednesday morning, high tide around 4 AM, high going low is real good, mid-tide around 7 AM, anyhow, Cape size ought to be chest high to head high as it builds a little thru the day, not much. What’s not good is SSW winds in the morning. That’s total side-shore winds, but if it’s closer to SW then we may have a few degrees offshore.
It may break head high, but this one is very difficult to call, (yeah I know, I’m stretching my neck here 😉 My best guess would be 3 to 4 foot overhead in Satellite Beach on the bigger sets. If this storm is as powerful as they hint it to be (they being meteorologists that tout the size fetch of this storm, and its a higher period swell than all but Bill which was 900 miles off the coast with) we’ll see.
Satellite is looking to have SW winds from like 2 to 10 AM, which is perfect for their angle. The Cape is showing SSW winds until 9 AM and then switching to SW. SW isn’t even good for us, SSW is less user friendly. In the 8 to 12 mph range.
Anyhow we’ll see, I’ll probably fill in more tomorrow.
Tuesday as of 5 AM Katia, and its position Wednesday at 2 PM, Cat 3, then maybe Cat 4 today and back to 3 or 2.
UPDATE FOR TUESDAY MORNING. Katia is a Category 3 Hurricane with 125 mph winds. It is supposed to hit Category 4 this afternoon, and fortunately still keep heading North. The reason we have probably 3 days of great waves and the 2 or 3 other days of waves, is not only the strength, but because it’s traveling slow at 10 mph NW, and is staying about 700 miles east of us and throwing in a long fetch for the swell. It’s staying far from us, and pretty far west of Bermuda to avoid major damage, and then headed toward the North Atlantic so that England and France can get some fun out of this. What a nice Hurricane! Back to last nights post and what’s what for Tuesday thru Friday below.
Tuesday morning,chest high at the Cape, head high plus down south. SSW winds starting around 10 mph at daybreak and increasing to probably 20 mph. Best place for those direction winds; Down south , like 8th street south to Satellite Beach. Up North, SSW is sideshore to onshore. Could be fun but find the right break to handle the angle of the winds. Don’t wear yourself out on it though, Wednesday and Thursday are the days 🙂
Wednesday,head high plus, probably just overhead at the Cape.And at Satellite Beach and maybe 2nd light, should be 3 to 4 foot overhead at the right breaks, still overhead about everywhere. Light SW winds in the 4 to 6 mph range, perfect down south.At the Pier and the Port, the wind angle is offshore, but barely, since NW winds are perfect for us, and SW is offshore to sideshore. Since they are light, it should be good everywhere. Actually, it should be epic down south and just, very good up North.(semantic games 😉
Thursday,still overhead plus down south, and head high at the Cape, probably overhead at the pier. Its too early to give accurate winds, but my guess is West winds, maybe WSW, still light under 10 mph. We’ll give ya an update Tuesday night for Thursday AM winds.
Friday, waist to chest high and dropping pretty fast, west winds to probably NW is my guess.
Have a great Wednesday, and even Tuesday should have some fun even with the high winds.
Katia will have some waves for us in the morning. They kind of sent something our way a few hours ago, but the real strength won’t start till the morning. (Monday morning) Sea Lice are pretty bad again, so get out and buy and try SeaSafe Jellyfish and Sea Lice repellent. Supposedly it works for before the fact, not after. See photo of Lice below.
Sea Lice photo, blown up 1000 percent, I believe
Monday should have some chest high waves for us and growing thru the day. The angle of the swell, it’s hard to tell how it will come in for the Cape until another day or so, but I think we’ll see chest high down south for sure, and by the end of the day, chest at the Cape and bigger down south. South winds from 8 to 15 mph with maybe stronger gusts.
Tuesday, a little bigger, shoulder high and growing, South winds also, but maybe a few hours of SSW winds. Need I say, South winds mean first Playalinda (32 degrees offshore) , 2nd Spanish House/Sebastian Inlet (26 degrees offshore). Definitely, go south of Minuteman Causeway for your best chase for semi-glass or minimal chop.
Wednesday, we should have some overhead waves, probably head high to slight overhead at the Cape, and a couple feet overhead down south. SW winds for a few hours in the morning, so get out early. (though the winds call is iffy, until I check them out Monday night or Tuesday morning for a 75 to 80 % accuracy call for Wednesday morning.
Thursday chest high to overhead as the models look with possible NW winds the first few hours in the morning.
Friday, strangely enough the size looks to increase a foot over Thursday with WNW winds possible in the morning.
Beyond Friday is getting real iffy to try and call. It is not confirmed that that is a true sea lice photo above, perhaps someone can let me know.
Monday is the last day of the NKF 26th Annual Surf Festival, so get down there and check it out, with the additional thrust in waves from Katia.
The photo above is my buddy from Newport Beach Rob’s friend Clay surfing a classic day at Punta Mango , El Salvador a couple years ago.
Katia getting close enough to start “guessing” the big and glassy days 🙂 Well, almost…
Our local windswell that will be coming in late Saturday afternoon will start bringing surfable waves for today and Sunday. Onshore, thigh to waist high plus stuff with onshore winds depending on the Cape or toward Patrick and Satellite Beach.
Monday and Tuesday, for 2 days running now show South winds as the Cane starts sending us chest high waves Monday on up to overhead waves by Tuesday, so this is Playalinda and Spanish House type wind.Offshore in both places. If you don’t want to drive, then surf anywhere south of 6th Street South and at least it will be 3 to 6 degrees offshore with direct South winds.RC’s and Hightowers it would be around 10 degrees offshore, and by the way, right now its only showing around 10 to 12 mph South winds so it could be really fun Monday and Tuesday.
Saturday 6 AM swell model update from Magicseaweed.com
WINDS ARE ALWAYS IFFY, AND THE BEST I CAN CALL ARE WINDS 36 TO 48 HOURS OUT ONLY. KEEP THAT IN MIND FOR TUESDAY ON, REGARDING THIS REPORT UPDATE !.
Wednesday morning, right now appears to be the biggest day, models of wind are too far out, but it looks to be SW winds and overhead waves, so down South could be epic. If you surf up North, with SSW to SW, you’ll be getting slight onshore to sideshore winds with a very slight offshore, but it wouldn’t be glassy.
Thursday morning, SSW to SW in the morning, head high, glassy down South and by late late afternoon, the winds start turning West so up North should be great by then.
Friday morning looks to be chest to head high an glassy everywhere.
The swell chart here even though it was placed in the style that it is on my favorite data house Magicseaweed.com, these are the same numbers that we see on Surfline, SurfGuru, Wavecaster, etc. They all get their data from NWW3 and GFS. But, MSW has their own programmers that bring the data with shoreline conditions, other storms affecting the storm we are tracking, and they draw interpolations from this with their own created models. To me they are hands down the best source of raw data interpolated. (my plug for MSW 🙂 But all the others still do a great job, and the most reliable interpretation of this stuff to give us user friendly reports over the years in my opinion is brother Ross at CFLsurf.com .
Anyhow, Katia swell models have dropped but it now looks like overhead surf that everyone can paddle out and have a great session/s.
The Stormpulse.com image here shows that Katia should be around 700 miles due east of us, which is less powerful than Bill, less than Earl, but still on track to give us multiple days of great surf.
Johnson Avenue Surfers 