What do these swell numbers say (or not)?

[KRL1973]

In Carmel drove along from copper roof around to butterfly and then to carmel river state beach. Of the 3 only carmel river was even close to diveable due it's being tucked in a bit on the south side.

I thought it was forecasted as a W swell when I was deciding on the trip a couple days prior to going, 6-8 certainly is more in line with what I saw in Carmel that morning. Breakwater was much smaller so was relatively sheltered but you'd think the peninsula jutting north would block a W swell altogether but it was far from calm there.

thanks for the tips

Ken

 

[Jon Nellis]

This far out it doesn't mean anything. That forecast will change three or four times before Friday night and even then, it is by no means a guarantee.

I prefer to get my information right off the satellite loop here. That with the swell forecasts (non-experimental) will give you a pretty good idea of what's on the way.

Offshore winds are the best (late spring, early summer), winds out of the south come in second place. A low pressure system a few hundred miles offshore and a high pressure system east of Monterey are both generally good for conditions but not always.

Right now there is a storm crossing the dateline and if it stays on latitude and speed it should be just off the north coast Friday night/Saturday morning which might help Monterey conditions on Saturday a bit if it stays far enough north.



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[Chuck Tribolet]

In Carmel drove along from copper roof around to butterfly and then to carmel river state beach. Of the 3 only carmel river was even close to diveable due it's being tucked in a bit on the south side.

I thought it was forecasted as a W swell when I was deciding on the trip a couple days prior to going, 6-8 certainly is more in line with what I saw in Carmel that morning. Breakwater was much smaller so was relatively sheltered but you'd think the peninsula jutting north would block a W swell altogether but it was far from calm there.

thanks for the tips

Ken

Earlier in the week, there were some W swell forecasts, some NW, all moderately big (6-8, 7-9).

It's OK to look at the forecasts a few days ahead to decide wheither you might want
to dive, but I never leave for Monterey without checking the 3 am forecast.

Those Carmel beches look right into both W and NW swells.

 

[blewgrass]

How do the North Carmel sites like Lingcod Reef and Fire rock handle a direct West swell? How about Stillwater? Is that more protected from "everything"? I'm heading to Monterey this weekend and am hoping for divable Carmel sites.

Steve