Santa Barbara Area Surf Report
    
  March Overview 2000 Overview  
    
Date/Time: Saturday, March 18th, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location: Rincon
Weather: Gorgeous. Sunny and calm.
Conditions: Perfect.
Swell: WNW groundswell, 12-14 ft at 14-17 s on outer buoys, 6-7 ft at 17 s on inner buoys.
Surf: Head high to overhead and a half.
Comments: Fabulous surf/beach day, a good swell, sun, no wind, and the beach littered with people. The surf was pretty fun atop the Indicator, grinding and hollow in the Rivermouth, and as perfect as it gets in the Cove, especially over the inside sandbar. Long, long, long barrels.

Surfed all over the point, paddling out at the top and then slowly making my way down. Too many waves to count, and strangely much less crowded than yesterday, or at least that was the case on the top of the point. Best waves early were the rivermouth bombs that rolled through to me as I paddled out wide on the point. Dropped in on the shoulder of the wide-swinging peak, just in time to duck through the bowl section as it got sandy and shallow heading in towards the cove. Not connecting all the way through, but still a fun ride.

Better waves still in the cove, which was perfect but very crowded. Scrupulously avoided dropping in on anyone, which is more than I can say for most of the crowd, but sometimes I have to admit it was required to get a wave, with people often taking off unmakeably deep from the top of the cove. On the inside, the sandbar was consistent, shallow, barrelling, and makeable every time. So there was a very crowded takeoff zone where all the best waves were peaking and then barrelling. Witnessed a lot of excellent tuberides while paddling back up the point.

My own best moment there was paddling back out after a small shoulder high wave that shacked me for several seconds and immediately grabbing the peak of a set wave. People on either side paddling for it, but I had the slot and took it all the way to the call box. Kept going back for more, until at last I was caught inside one time too many and got dragged by the whitewater through the shallows and all the way to the fire pit. 6 hours uninterrupted water time was all Mama Rincon'd let me have!


Santa Barbara Surfing -- Last updated 3/20/2000.