Santa Barbara Area Surf Report

May Overview | 1996 Overview


Date/Time:
Saturday, May 11th, 12:00 noon - 1:30 pm
Location:
Northside, Huntington Beach Pier
Weather:
Sunny and hot, with onshores developing.
Conditions:
Poor. Sloppy and bumpy and whitecapping towards the end.
Swell:
Combination new small SW (220) groundswell and small windswell. Sets from waist to head high.
Comments:
Dropped Bettye off with my mother at a store for bridal gowns and cruised the remaining 3 to 5 blocks to the beach. After swinging through the Frog House in Newport, where I got my very first board, suited up and paddled out just north of the pier.

There was a local contest going on, so stayed a bit south near the lifeguard tower. Lots of fun peaks jacking up on the outside sandbars, mostly lefts with a lumpy wall rolling in and then folding over fast down the line. The chop made the bottom turns difficult to negotiate at times.

Got a few of the head-high set waves, pig-dogging off the bottom and doing my best to get under the foamy curtain and down the line.

Water was warm, definitely trunkable. Should have left the springsuit in the car.

Afterwards, stopped by Robert August's shop to check out the longboard selection. Hope to pick one up w/in the first week after school's out.


Santa Barbara Surfing -- Last updated 6/17/96.