This past week, California got hit by its first true winter swell. Maverick’s re-awoke, The Lane was 10-foot-plus, and Ocean Beach was humungous. All that being said, conditions ranged from a bit messy to downright un-surfable.
Southern California, on the other hand, was not quite as big but it was a whole lot more organized. There was plenty of waves from the large northwest swell crossed up with a decently strong south swell, and the offshore winds it feels like we’ve been waiting for all fall delivered in spades. Jack Enright, creator of the SoCal Surfer YouTube Channel, was there to document the action.
“I spent Tuesday and Wednesday shooting in North County San Diego,” Jack told me over DM. “Shallow sand bars and pumping combo swell led to lots of barrels.”
Cole Alves in perfect form. Photo: Jack Enright
“My favorite clip would have to be the very first one in the video,” Jack continued. “The wave seemed to come straight from the South and bent along the sandbar, creating an insane barrel. Even though Cole Alves didn’t make the barrel, it was a heroic attempt. Cole is famous on TikTok and although he’s from Maui he spends a lot of time in L.A. It was pretty epic seeing how well he surfs in person. Another surfer to watch in the video is Cannon Carr (clips at 2:28 and 3:02). Cannon is a grom with insane potential. His style is so smooth and he makes the steepest drops look like nothing. Training last year on the North Shore has definitely taken his surfing to the next level.”
Fingers crossed that we see a few more days like this in the coming weeks before it’s truly winter.
