Enough with the June weather

DENNIS McTIGHE

We’ve re-named our ninth month Junetember. We’re mired in the dark

halls of the Temple of Gloom.

The water looks like whale blood, the waves are overhead only for

2-year-olds. It’s 65 degrees and drizzling here at my St. Ann’s

office at 1 p.m. on Monday.

Sorry, Divine Creator, but September’s issue was a complete fraud.

I know, you’re just testing our patience, but we’re about to become a

patient.

But at least we get to endure it in Laguna not Pomona (no offense

to Pomona, just using that spot as any generic flatland community).

And joining the fraud category was the surf. Sure there were five

named storms in the Eastern Pacific tropics, but all five had an

excuse. That’s zero for 13, ‘cause Marty just spent himself over

Northwest Mexico’s mainland after serving up 6 to 10 foot close

interval point break wonders all the way up the gulf of California

past Guaymas. San Carlos left point lighted up off the Richter for 30

hours.

Remember, Ignacio did the same track a few weeks ago. It’s become

the ocean of Cortez.

On the bright side, Arizona has benefited largely due to Ignacio

and Marty’s generous and much needed rains which totaled up to 6

inches from both systems.

Speaking of the ’39 hurricane, here’s a list of the strongest Baja

swells recorded from 1939 to 2003.

Of course the Granddaddy was the ’39 Chubasco -- wave heights were

15 to 25 feet.

September of 1963 -- a category five sits 200 miles west of the

tip and sends 12 to 18 foot waves in Orange County, but 22 to 24 feet

at the Wedge with a 104 degree Santana going on too! Truancy reached

an all time high at Laguna Beach High.

September 1966 -- a category five perched just inside our surf

window about 160 miles West Southwest of the tip. Pipeline comes to

Newport Point 15th Street, 165 degrees, 12 to 15 feet plus at 10

second intervals with a Santana heat wave and day-long glass or

offshore. What school?!

Your Tidbitter missed 44 days that fall semester of my senior year

‘66-’67. That late summer and fall were nonstop waves and hot

weather. Hey, it was Billy Hamilton’s fault. I was at Lowers or

Swamis during the school week. Then we’d study and do homework on

weekends when all the wave fields were zooed out. And we still got As

and Bs.

Unfortunately, our attendance was worse than F, they extended the

alphabet just for us, but we still graduated, barely. The surf turned

bad our spring semester so we showed up at school most of the time.

Gee, wasn’t that big of us?

Hurricane Claudia in July, 1976 -- the whole Newport Harbor

entrance had 20 foot monsters breaking top to bottom.

Hurricane Hyacinth, September 1972 -- a major El Nino that summer

pushed a string of Category 4s and 5s Northwest into our surf window.

Hyacinth was so south. Paulette was riding halfway to Anita St. from

2nd and Third reef at Brooks.

And this year we couldn’t buy even a three foot day.