Swell forecast for January 2nd. Red means waves in the 10-20 foot range. Photo: Windy.com
We’re still talking about the swell that graced the West Coast with easily the biggest and best waves of the winter on December 8th. It produced legendary waves at Maverick’s and other winter standouts up and down the coast. From Blacks to Rincon to Ocean Beach in San Francisco, as well as the North Shore of Oahu, ’twas firing. For that we are grateful.
It’s been an active couple of weeks since then, with plenty of swell in the water and mostly offshore winds producing holiday treats for many. But don’t put your step-ups away just yet, because the Pacific has more energy brewing up north.
NOAA is currently tracking a storm just south of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska that’s due to send waves to Hawaii late on New Year’s Eve and California between January 2nd and 3rd.
The December 8th swell peaked at 17 feet at 19 seconds on the buoys. So far, this incoming WNW swell should hit the West Coast at around 17 feet according to NOAA, hopefully bringing in waves of similar size. Surface conditions look like they might be rougher this time with rain in the forecast as well, but there are sure to be a few windows to get out and score some big ones if you’re up to the challenge.
If you capture any swell footage or frames you’re proud of and you’d like featured on The Inertia and/or our Instagram, feel free to email us or post on IG and tag @theinertia and #instaswell.
