Surfing in Southern California means you hang out in water normally 55-65 degrees. Pretty cold and worth a wetsuit most of the time. Every once in a while the wind gets going and blows away the entire surface of the ocean, revealing the frigid lower layer. As that current comes up (upwelling) the water drops drastically, like 10 degrees or more.
It happened once last summer, in the middle of August. The water went from 65 to 50 overnight. I couldn’t believe it and, of course, nobody was in the water. Except for me, that is, I put on some booties and enjoyed the least crowded day all summer.
It turns out that these upwellings happen an awful lot in one particular spot.
So where’s the coldest surf spot in Orange County?
Blackies in Newport seems to be, thanks to the Newport Submarine Canyon trenched just offshore…. which explains why a wind/ water upwelling event like we had yesterday Sunday March 18, 2012, with 25-40 knots winds for a 24 hour period, turned the water from colder to coldest, at around 50 degrees at first light this morning…. But we’re over it. Can’t we just get our normal cold water back?
via Ghetto Juice