Ready to surf now:
NOAA and CDIP maintain buoy data for the California Coast. There's
gobs of gory detail for all the west coast Buoys.
The 46042 buoy
(just outside the Monterey Bay) shows current Santa Cruz swell data and
forecast
swell in the Monterey Bay. The tide
tables show the tides for Santa Cruz, low tide is usually best at Cowell.
Here's the Coastal Marine weather
forecast.
The West Coast Santa Cruz Hotel (formerly the Dream Inn) provides
a current
picture (sorry camera still down) of Cowells Beach. Surfline has
on-line surf reports provided by fellow surfers, and a SurfCam of Steamer
Lane
a more advanced surfing area near Cowells Beach at the Lighthouse. Check
out the pictures from
Mavericks,
the monster wave area, where surfing is a spectator sport. Is the water
clean? Check with the Santa Cruz Surfridersquality
reports and the County Government quality
reports. The
GOES-10 weather satellite provides a color enhanced IR. image
of the west coast. There's also a local radar
map to show current rain conditions. Hardbody has info and surfcams
including Cowells
Beach. O'Neill has a Surf Phone that's updated daily. You can call
them at (831) 475-BARL (or (831)475-2275)
Planning to Surf in a few days:
Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNOC)
provides Pacific Ocean wave height models that predict today's
conditions, plus 24,
48
and 72
hour predictions. These
charts predict upcoming West Coast surfing conditions. Reality has
the
Surf Forecast
for Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz's summer doldrums come to an end as South Pacific
swell moves north. Wait about two days after Oahu's
south beaches (Diamond Head, Ala Moana, and Makaha) go off. Here's the
South Pacific
51028
buoy. To help you plan a Surfn' Safari, here's a short list of some of
the lodging that's very close to surfing
spots.
Learn to Surf:
Here's an interesting on-line surfing book,
the Learning to Surf
chapter has a good write-up for beginners. However, it moves very quickly
[read too quickly] from learning to catch a wave into competition moves,
but it does have some good and interesting information. A good way to learn
anything is to take a lesson. There are several instructors in the Santa
Cruz area. Two well known teachers are Richard Schmidt's School
of Surfing
and Ed's Club
Ed. The Santa Cruz Surf
School specializes in lessons with a high teacher student ratio. Check
out the on-line version of Juice,
Northern California's Surf magazine. Local surf news, stories and Great
action photographs. Confused about the so called "surf speak"? Check out
the lingo link on the net body boarding
site.
Other Things to Do:
You can only surf for so long, then you'll be interested in doing other
things around Santa Cruz. The Shakespeare
Santa Cruz is a world famous. There's lots of local events
coming
up this year. Cruzio maintains a comprehensive on-line directory
for
Santa Cruz. One of my favorite clubs, is the Kuumbwa
Jazz Center, especially the Monday night jazz shows. After surfing,
you might enjoy visiting the beach
boardwalk or the Santa
Cruz Wharf, both located next to Cowells Beach. Creation
Captured has some Woody Woodworth photographs
and movies that are fun to watch, and are available to purchase for commercial
use. The Santa Cruz County Visitors Council (SCCVC)
has lots of information about Santa Cruz. Their info includes maps, things
to do, lodging, etc.
Send questions and comments to Bob,
the Surfn' Santa Cruz Kahauna.
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