Epic surf for the holidays

Hello, Laguna.

Surf culture is alive and well here. We have seen the best week of big surf since the winter of 1997-98 -- and that was an extremely wet winter that led to massive flooding in the Laguna Canyon and downtown areas.

This year, however, we have experienced little if any rainfall, but our coast has been getting pounded by larger than normal north-to-northwest swells for almost an entire week now, with more long-term swells predicted for the future.

Tuesday we had some of the best surfing conditions in the wintertime in the last seven years or so, seeing waves reach the 8-10 foot range, while local surfers took full advantage of the negative low tide that we had in the afternoon, which meant waves broke twice as far out as on normal days.

At times during the day you could see 20 or 25 spectators watching, hooting and hollering. With all the laughing and telling of stories it was reminiscent of a scene from the greatest surf movie of all time, “Big Wednesday.” Even though it was a Tuesday, it was still an epic day of surf.

It should be noted that, with such a consistent week of big waves and even more forecast for the next week, surfboard supplies in retail stores and elsewhere should begin to dwindle in dramatic fashion.

A word of advice: Hold onto your boards, as a shortage of surfboards looms ahead and prices are sure to soar, thanks to the closing of Clark Foam.

Looking ahead, there is a high surf advisory in effect until 2 p.m. Saturday -- with waves expected to reach as high as 12 feet on local west-facing beaches.

Yet another big swell is forecast through the weekend and early into the New Year, with tides reaching into the 7-foot range and higher. There has been a coastal flood warning advisory issued during this period due to beach erosion concerns and extremely high tides.

It’s too early to tell, but we just might have a record year in the making for big surf. With the forecast ahead, it should definitely be a great New Year’s for surf!

Peace.

* James Pribram is a Laguna Beach native, board member of Clean Water Now, professional surfer and founder of the Aloha School of Surfing. He can be reached at jamo@alohaschoolofsurfing.com.

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