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Santa Barbara Area Surf Report

 
    
Date/Time:   Friday, January 19th, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm  
    
Location:   Rincon  
    
Weather:   Mostly cloudy, cool.  
    
Conditions:   Clean.  
    
Swell:   Fading WNW swell, peaked overnight at 18 ft on the outer channel, now running 12 ft at 20 s from 290 deg., 9 ft at 20 s on the inner channel.  
    
Surf:   Maddeningly inconsistent but solid overhead and a half when the occasional set would land.  
    
Comments:   The smallest big swell I've ever surfed. Lots of people out, including me, on their big boards, me on my 7'2". The perfect board for the waves that came, shifting bowls in the rivermouth, but there just weren't enough. Paddled out with a dry head and a big smile at the thought of some good surf, then sat and sat and sat and ... well then some other guy would be next to me with a big smile and I'd say "you just paddled out, didn't you?" and he'd say "yeah, isn't this great?" and I'd say "wait a while and tell the next guy that paddles out with a big smile..."

It's not like the waves were bad, but there just weren't enough to go around. Al said it best: "It can't always be perfect..."

Dusk update: C Street, solid double overhead and ultra-consistent.

 
    
   
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Created by Tim Maddux, courtesy of UCSB, CoE, ME, and CS. Last updated 1/19/2000.