El niño is creating some crazy weather in North Carolina. On Christmas Day, we were on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, it was 70°, the ocean temperatures were in the 60’s, and there was waist high surf. (Apparently, we were a day late for the real swell.) Fast forward to the second weekend in January 2016, and another swell was hitting the OBX. With a sub-topical storm system north of Bermuda and a strong weather system moving through the region, the surf was cranking in Kill Devil Hills. Continue reading
Tag Archives: surfing
Surf, Sailing, and Sun in Rincon, Puerto Rico
Spring Break 2015: Rincon, Puerto Rico Day 4
Another beautiful day in Rincon was on tap. An early morning surf session with some of the leftover swell was a great way to start the day. Then the family was all geared up for a morning sail on the Katarina and some snorkeling in the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve. This was day four of our Spring Break and our last full day on the island of Puerto Rico. Continue reading
Spring Break 2015: Rincon, Puerto Rico Day 3
It was another good day of surf in Rincon, leftovers from the big swell were still coming in. Spring Break was in full effect and I was up early and in the water before 7:30 am. The rest of the day had more in store for us, including a trip to the Rincon Beer Company. Continue reading
Spring Break 2015: Rincon, Puerto Rico Day 2
It was our first full day in Rincon, Puerto Rico after spending most of Friday traveling. The first order of business after cooking breakfast at the condo was to acquire a surfboard. Little did we know that the surf was cranking, but we’ll get to that in a moment. Continue reading
Island Life in Hawaii: Saying Aloha on Christmas Eve
I was up before 7:00 am, with most of my things packed up and ready to go. Wednesday, December 24, Christmas Eve, was the last day of our trip. I wanted to get one last surf session in and I was super stoked that I did. I was pleasantly surprised with how good the surf was at Diamond Head. I pulled up and paddled out immediately. Continue reading
Island Life in Hawaii: Waikiki, Shopping, and Surfing
We had a wonderful time island hopping over to Kauai on Monday and got a chance to sleep in and rest this morning. Our vacation time was dwindling and Tuesday, December 23 was our last full day on Oahu. I needed to move the car, because our parking expired at 7:00 am. Zander joined me and we did a quick surf check at Publics in Waikiki, then further up at Diamond Head. There were some decent waves coming in, but we decided to surf later in the afternoon. Continue reading
Island Life in Hawaii: East Oahu, Sunset Beach, and Sea Turtles
After a great day of snorkeling at Hanauma Bay we were ready to see more beautiful beaches. On Sunday, December 21, Merri Beth, Zander, Coco, my mom, and I loaded into the rental car and headed to the east side of Oahu to drive up the coast and to relax on the beach. Our first stop was the Nu‘uanu Pali lookout. Continue reading
Island Life in Hawaii: Chinatown, Waikiki, and a Surfboard
The first half of our day, December 19, was spent at Pearl Harbor and Punch Bowl. Merri Beth, Zander, Coco, my mom, and I were heading to Chinatown to have lunch with a few friends that I met through Code for America and CityCamp Honolulu.
We found some parking in Downtown Honolulu and walked about two blocks to the restaurant that my friends selected. Continue reading
Tropical Storm Isaac Delivers Swell to Surf City
It’s the time of year when I keep one eye on the tropics for potential surf-generating storms. I’ll glance at the Atlantic Ocean swell models a few times a week and see if it’s time wax up the surfboard for a coastal get-away. This week was no different, except there are two reasons to further investigate: Tropical Storm Isaac and Tropical Depression Joyce.
Towards the end of last week, I was seeing some favorable conditions in the forecast. At first, it looked like Joyce was going to deliver this coming Tuesday, but more recent swell models have changed. However, on Friday, the forecast was looking good for the weekend. It looked like long-period swell would be arriving in North Carolina starting on Saturday. I was zeroing in on Topsail Island. Continue reading
Duck diving into online surf forecasts
During hurricane season, my attention turns to the Atlantic Ocean. I keep an eye on swell-producing storms and use a variety of forecasting tools to get to the right spot for the best surf. But I never really thought about the data behind the tools I use.
There are many different stats brought together by today’s forecasting technology: Continue reading