View from the balcony this am. Faint swell lines in the Mona Passage, Tres Palmas breaking is not visible from here yet. The buoy in PR is 10ft at 12 seconds. It was really flat yesterday but got huge overnight. From 3 miles away the surf sounds like thunder.
Tuesday WFL 1/10 7am: Thanks guys for the awesome comments. Please continue, nothing better than when you look outside the box and score. With the gulf in a calm state(see forecast below) and the Caribbean with massive swell I’m going to put some PR coverage on here for the next few days. Stay tuned for more pics later. Thanks!
San Juan Discussion Dude (music to my ears): After the front crosses the region…moisture and temperatures drop across the Northeast Caribbean Region. Temperatures are forecast to decrease between 3-5 degrees below normal. Our current forecast calls for minimum temperatures in the low to mid 50s at high elevations and low to mid 70s at lower elevations on Wednesday Night and Thursday Night. Drier than normal air mass will keep the chance of shower low for the second part of the week. My translation: We rarely get cool air pumped from far Northern latitudes directly into the Caribbean but with this low pressure and front that is exactly what will happen.
It’s been years since the Caribbean got a winter storm like this,
I was bumping around on You tube and found a few videos to share. This is about tube riding. Check out these shredders at Sebastian Inlet, amazing style, all these guys. These guys rip! Bill Hartley are you kidding me? Palmetto Drive is a classic late 90’s FL surf movie by Jon Krizmanich, a lot of 1st Peak SI. Thanks Jon for posting this in 2015. GC section with Cory riding a Bat, Jason Hatch playing in a rock band, etc. The tube riding at 1st peak before the reconstruction is amazing! This will get you pumped for Saturday! This is why Im proud to be a Florida Surfer!
Gulf Coast Crouch.
Joey at venicejetty.com posted a cool story about getting barreled during the magic hour in WFL. This paragraph is in response to his post. Probably written because Joey had just seen people get legit, amazing barrels at one of THE best barrels in the world Backdoor Pipe, Bat told me Backdoor looks like a closeout when you drop in but it’s not it’ just bends and winds out perfectly. In defense of Florida tubes; Cory once said he learned to get barreled at Chopes from the tubes he got in his youth on Anna Maria Island. Kelly Slater, one of the very best tube riders in the world learned tube riding at 1st peak SI. Living down here in PR not too many people know or want to get barreled. David Speir put on a barrel riding clinic down here at Middles. My point: Florida guys know how to get barreled. Many FL guys are excellent tube riders. They all learned in small waves. They go barrel first then turns. So don’t give up, practice your barrel stance, it’s the most important move you have. Keep getting barreled waist high magic hour, starting this Saturday.
Guide Services, photography and video. info@aurasurf.com
About the forecaster: My name is Micah Weaver. I’m from St Petersburg, Florida. I started surfing and forecasting the WFL gulf coast in the mid 1980’s.I currently live in Rincon, Puert Rico. Thanks for visiting aurasurf.com
what are the Bucs chances? catch me up
Happy to throw a little your way…the report you post is always the best insight re what is happening in the water.Hope you have an awesome 17 and maybe I will get down to the island this year. Never been to PR and on my list for sure.
Bucs have to win and need a lot of help from other teams.Could happen…I give it a 40/60 chance.
glad they won… yes Evy sharks love mullet! you should be ok though I never even got bumped in all my years surfing the gulf
Surfed and surfed and surfed and surfed – Pefect waves for me at my southy break – Mullet were running… banging off my board……was kinda worried sharkies might be around – do they eat mullet?
FEELING RE-FRESHED and ALIVE
I woke up this morning wanting MORE…..
it only three weeks ago I was looking at my boards thinking…well, maybe I should sell them, maybe I’m just getting too old for this sport, I am such a poser, haven’t been on a board for months….
and then, there was yesterday… and I felt redeemed, I am a surfer and when I’m catching a wave -albeit small- my union with Nature and Creator is beyond bliss
I thought that ww3 may have sobered up this year. Usually around this time of year, she’s pumping out some overblown system every other day that seems to remain in the 160-180 hour range,perpetually everyday extending itself through the week.
Well, Christmas is over, the new year has come, and why not get back on the extended forecast hype train of swelmakers? It’s January already! She’s been holding off for so long.
so true
GoodMorning…. Micah – how can I find out if the contest will run in Venice this Sunday & the time ???- never been to one and I’d love to go — just have no contacts to clue me in – gracias
Evy, If it runs it will be on Sunday, and they usually start sign-ups at 7:30 and run the contest by 8:30ish. No way to know if it is going to run until the day before. That **** low sitting by Mexico is KILLING us.
Not liking today’s update. 🙁
THANKS for the video… put a needed smile on my face <3
Regarding barrels from that little write up, I suck at riding barrel … when I get one it’s etched in my mind for a whole year because they are so few and far between. LOL
I’ve seen both of you guys pull in. Rob you got some nice backside tubes back in the day
HA HA HA, I am the same way Rob. 2 of the best barrels i have ever gotten out of were completely by accident. One I was so off balance i don;t even know how I made the drop, pulled in(because my falling backwards) and a warble in the wave popped me more upright and I came out. LOL. Some of these surfers just have a knack for tucking in.
Thanks MW. I still get ’em … my big ass just has to work for them a little harder now. Haha. And Russ – yeah … those accidental ones are gems huh? I love back-dooring a chunky section … 🙂 Looking forward to this weekend.
Ah man… Thanks for posting Palmetto Drive! That took me back to my grom days in a big way. Anonymous Prime? I wish I could find one of those CD’s somewhere. Such a classic FL surf flick! Good find admin…
MAn, I totally suck at waiting for waves. Van is packed with 3 boards, wetsuits, a springsuit, full cup of java, coolers loaded, and a full tank of gas. Probably going to just go drive around the Pinetown beaches and see what happening. Maybe throw the longboard in and see if that’s doable for a bit, somewhere. I just don’t want to get all worn out with the chunk happening later.
I know I can get a barrel here and there, but I have to really be lucky to get a good clean, or even frothy, exit. I actually would prefer to do a nice off the lip or heavy rail turn. And with my back issues, it is real difficult to tuck into some of the tiny ones. *** TIP OF THE DAY KIDS*** Don’t get old!!!!!! LOL
Russ, I relate to what chronic back issues does to your surfing. Each year my pop-up and crouch gets a little more delayed…that’s why all us old farts eventually will end up as LB’ers exclusively. And when to knees go SUP’ers! 🙁 just like the “surfing impaired” sticker…Ha Ha!
MW, Russ, Rob or anyone else care to guess what the chances are for a cleanup down south Sun am? I think SKP this evening is a lock but Sunday is iffy depending on when and if those NE winds kick in. Appreciate any feedback and good luck to all.
PS, the L-T forecasts say next weekend the EC will blow-up with light winds.
DW, I think you are right and The Zoo is going to be good tonight. As far as down south tomorrow? It’s a crap shoot for sure. That NE wind could knock it down to nothing for sure. But it could be sort of fun first thing, somewhere. Tides aren’t going to be clam digging low, so that is a plus. I will be checking the buoys first thing and basing my decisions on that, and how long the NE winds have been blowing. Been skunked wayyy too many times to count, but it is still AWESOME when you do score super early frigid good Gulf surf.
I want to get barreled!!!!!
Great reads – thanks for the ESM update – I’ll head to Turtle for a look “sea” in the morning
tooo cold for me, but watching men in neoprene is always …. well worth a bit of wind chill
I am so glad I loaded everything into my van, instead of my pickup. It makes changing in in out of the wetsuit so much nicer. I can stand up in it, I am out of the wind. I even brought a beach chair today and took and hour rest, and ate lunch in my mobile Man Cave 😀 Went back out for a second session, and I was glad I did. The Zoo started to get it together and it got pretty fun.
When it comes to Gulf barrels I will simply say this; If you want the best hollowest barrel in WFL, you’ll have to do some long walking or have a boat. 😉 the search is real my friends.
We scored nice this afternoon / evening … the OG Crew in full effect.
Tomorrow is gonna be small, sadly … that wind was already solid N and going NNE when we left our spot tonight.
Man I lucked out today. On my way to the zoo and looked at the pass driving over the bridge…holy crap! Perfect rights lined up. Thought it was an optical illusion. Had to hop a fence to get to it but damn it was good. Chest high and super clean…the condos blocked all the wind. Was good for almost 2 hours and then just stopped like someone hit a switch. Wish I knew what factors made that work while it did.
Greg, I slowed and looked over there, as I was pulling into the Zoo, but it wasn;t doing it then. I bet when that tide dropped out is when it got good. I have only surfed that place 3 times, in 35 years. It id VERY fickle, nice score.
And yeah, it looks like the N/NE winds got a hold of the swell for sure. Won’t stop me from driving to The Zoo to look this morning, I am up might as well. Hot coffee, boards, wetty, and camera ready to go. Worst case, I go shoot some morning photography somewhere. 🙂
DP visual at middle jetty TI, 700am, knee to thigh and no real line, needs the high tide.
GooodMorning !!! love the early DP-rs – and thanks for putting a smile on my face Greg
I loved this line
” Had to hop a fence to get to it but damn it was good. “
That’s awesome Greg wish I could’ve seen it stack up there!! Always used to throw up a nice skim line around the jettys but have yet to see it like that. Great score!
Don’t you love when all of your friends dictate where you’re going to Surf during the short window of waves and you say not this spot, the other spot will be firing! But they just don’t listen… Only to find out the next morning that the other spot was all time with no crowd! ?
Wow Greg, pass is epic. It’s such a fickle wave. I feel like I used to catch it a lot about 20 years ago. There are so many factors for that spot….. But when it works, the buildings block the wind, and it lines up pretty good..
I have vivid memories of the Lost crew showing up on some swell there and just absolutely destroying perfect lined up 2-4 waves. I think there is some footy on the “on the road w/spike” or across America dvd
I’m guessing incoming tide and a strong NW swell used to do it. But ive checked it with head high dumpers at the zoo,,, 10 ft seas during a massive cold front,, and it still wont break.
_____ Lucky
You guys are right on to say fickle. I have never seen a wave there. It was so strange how abruptly it turned off. I was in the “okay just a couple more” mode and it was just gone like a puff of smoke. No signal it was changing at all. Yes- pure luck to be there at the right time.
Switching gears for a second … I just checked the Sunset Cam and it appears to be back up and running as of Tuesday 1/10 …