After a summer of messy, onshore conditions, fall has arrived in San Francisco. That means Bay Area surfers can wipe the dust off their bigger boards and roll the dice for tube time at Ocean Beach.
This El Niño winter is predicted to be so off the charts that scientists aren’t exactly sure what to expect. But if past El Niños are any indicator, bountiful North Pacific swells and wet atmospheric rivers could pound the West Coast. On November 2, one such long-period swell sent San Francisco surfers on a duck-dive mission to surf the famed sand bars of Ocean Beach.
Offshore wind coincided with a swell of 4.5 feet at 18 seconds on Monday. That means waves reaching the double-overhead range at Ocean Beach. And while it looks easy to get tubed from the beach, positioning yourself is anything but. Strong tidal currents, rip currents, and relentless walls of whitewash make the calculations much more complicated. Finding a tube in San Francisco is equal parts skill and luck.
As a result, there were lots of wipeouts and barrel misses. But in typical Ocean Beach fashion, a few lucky souls got spat out of tubes. All you need is one of those to make the session.
