Ask Carroll

[alakaboo]

foamy you do get onshores in SoCal, pretty much all year.
But a few things make them less of an issue, least in San Diego where I lived for a few months:

The desert cools down a lot faster than the ocean, so in the morning there are offshores or still conditions.
There are large offshore kelp beds in summer, these act like lane ropes in a pool, knocking out chop.
The swells are generally a lot flatter, meaning that the onshore winds don't mess them about as much
There are big sandstone cliffs near a lot of the good breaks, so there is a geographic impact on the winds that creates a dead zone. There are also hills further north that influence the morning winds.

[foamy]

Thank you, alakaboo.
In QLD, board riding is so all about the morning for most of the year, I am unduly fascinated with places that have their surfing conditions more efficiently organised.
SoCal seems to me like it should be a summer afternoon onshore wind machine (like with the Fremantle doctor). Your answer does help explain the seemingly, calm, arvo beach conditions.

[Nick Carroll]

There's also the fact that SoCal itself is like a giant bay. Get north of Pt Conception and the convectional winds blow really strong in the afternoons. Ventura and south, the convectional wind angle doesn't fit the line of the coast, so it just flops. It's an incredibly stable mini-climate. Get down into Baja and you'll find the NW sea breeze is pretty prominent all summer. The same occurs in the outer waters along the channel islands and beyond.

Also: the "June gloom" cloud layer often inverts the system a bit and early summer mornings, you get "devil wind" southerlies blowing up the coast. These winds have to be defeated by the NW sea breeze, which often results in it only blowing lightly, and fading toward evening.

[Hatchnam]

So Cal = Slow moving swells, shelf buffered, finely manicured etc...

Sounds a lot like QLD

[Nick Carroll]

It's nothing like Qld, believe me

[steve shearer]

Palos Verde is a trip in a big winter west.

[Hatchnam]

nick. what's the northern temperate coast like? say up past San Fran and before Canada ? and where would it compare most to in aus (if at all) ?

actually, where in usa (if anywhere) would most compare to say australia from newcastle down to south coast nsw ? or is there simply no comparison to be drawn ? (i.e.; our coast's freaky weather-bomb type swells, vs. the long-period stuff that the usa west coast cops?)

[Nick Carroll]

The part of the USA's coast that reminded me most of Australia is Cape Hatteras

Exposed to a range of shorter interval swells from different angles...shifting sandbars, very much like South Straddie...local crew a lot like Australians, big beach fishermen, love their BBQ (best BBQ sauce in the world), drive through bottle shops, really the same feeling of exposure to the elements. I love that area, the crew is super cool and the waves and fishing are good, it's sort of a no bullshit environment

Otherwise maybe the central CA coast between Pt Conception and Carmel, a bit like the Vicco west coast but not as many good waves.

[Nick Carroll]

The coast beyond San Francisco is pretty epic, there's a lot of good waves up there, but there's also a lot of v hostile conditions, winds and water temps etc, you'd have to put up with a lot of punishment to get the good days.

[Hatchnam]

The part of the USA's coast that reminded me most of Australia is Cape Hatteras

Exposed to a range of shorter interval swells from different angles...shifting sandbars, very much like South Straddie.

sounds divine.. wedging punching peaks..

what's the surf around Kill Devil Hills like ?? just north of CH... have read it's great..

[Beanpole]

Kind of always wondered about the mid east coast of USA like Georgia etc. Hatteras is up near the top isn't it?

I know it's all the poor cousin to the west coast but it must have its moments.

[tootr]

Do you miss Loofy and his nipple tweaking tardery?

[steve shearer]

Iggs I did a lot of time north of San Francisco up the west coast to Alaska.

water north of San Fran up into Humboldt county is icy cold, colder than Alaska which is touched by the last fringes of the Kuroshio current. Humboldt is upwelling with cold green water off the shelf and river runoff.
Thickly forested country with Californian redwoods and mountains.
Lot of coastal lagoons and piled up driftwood on the coast. Fogs and heavy beachbreaks breaking on these shingle beach lagoon openings. Felt sharky as all fcuk. Duckdiving is gnarly punishment.
Sparsely populated, barely feels like California. Strong dope which makes for paranoid small towns.
Weird, weak light coming through these ancient forests. Kind of European dark fairy-tale feeling.

[AussieinTexas]

How D from Texas,
Hatteras cranks, when swell and winds are alined can be epic. Kill devil and Laundromat,s are thick heaving beachies that are real fun. Great part of the US of A with it quirky villages, lighthouses, bridges, car ferries and natural environment. Can get cold in winter. The best part is how friendly the locals are. I have been to that part of the east coast on two occasions and I believe it to be much better value than going to the west coast ( which I detest due to crowds, prices and water temp ). Yes we do get waves in Texas and surf regularly but are waiting patiently for this seasons first depression or hurricane in the gulf, bring it on. Just got back from 8 weeks surfing in Aussie, which was the best.

[Nick Carroll]

Do you miss Loofy and his nipple tweaking tardery?

"Miss" is the wrong word, loofy was a tard-star but I never felt I knew him, he remains an enigma in my mind. Perhaps that is the way of all great tards. I do suspect he will be back in some other guise if he isn't already.

[Cranked]

On no, I can just see the synapses slowly firing, the light bulbs flickering. But hey, don't look at me! I really am me... was me?... will be me? Identity is such a nebulous thing. Perhaps I'm a reincarnation and I don't even know it.

I don't think I could take over the mantle of loofy in any case. He seems such a mythical figure.

Can't decide which of these two quotes is most appropriate:

“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.”

or

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

[ctd]

The part of the USA's coast that reminded me most of Australia is Cape Hatteras.

I just looked that up; the Outerbanks are a weird land formation.

[Nick Carroll]

The part of the USA's coast that reminded me most of Australia is Cape Hatteras.

I just looked that up; the Outerbanks are a weird land formation.

Well they have their semi counterparts here in the sand islands off SE Qld