Know before you go and get familiar with the mechanics of your favorite spots with this short list of some favorite surf report and forecast conditions. We are very blessed to live in a part of the world where there is so much information available, so have fun becoming an avid user of these amazing resources.
1.) Windy.com (and app)
Set the pin, zoom to the scale you want and press play to watch the next week of weather patterns unfold before your very eyes.
2.) Stormsurf.com (and youtube channel!)
The G.iest of OG surf forecasting done by Mark Sponsler out of Half Moon Bay. Explore the site to watch up forecast models up to 180hrs in the future. Be sure to check out the weekly surf forecast youtube video Mark puts out each Sunday evening to learn more about Earth processes and get a up-to-date view of short, medium and long term forecasts! "Real data, for outdoor people... none of the hype!"
3.) MagicSeaweed.com (and app)
Check the swell, waves, wind and tide forecast up to 7 days in advance at several surf spot-specific locations. The website also features several articles and media.
4. surfline.com (and app)
Get 3 days of surf forecasts for free. Pretty similar to magicseaweed except you can see the individual swells through time. Surfline is also a major hub for surf-centric news.
5. NOAA Marine Forecasts!
A few short sentences about swell and wind patterns for a given region up for the next five days, brought to you by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Association.
Humboldt forecast can be found here. Oh look, another small craft advisory!
Out in the boonies with no internet access?
1. Call the Eureka National Weather Service office at 707-443-6484
2. Dial 1 for Forecasts
3. Press 2 for Marine Forecasts
4. Hit 1 for Pt. St. George to Cape Mendocino out 10nm
So far out that there's no internet or phone? You can listen to the recordings cycle through the NOAA station on your VHF radio.
6. NOAA's National Data Buoy Center
For real time observations, brought to you by the buoys themselves. Search for the Humboldt North Spit Buoy #46244 and explore the map to see what other buoys are around. Check out the Port Orford Buoy or the PAPA Buoy up in the far north Pac to see if swell is on the way.
Here's the link to dear old 46244. There is so much information on the buoy pages! Be sure to scroll around and click some of the links to the graphs of recent observations.
No wifi? You can call the Dial-A-Buoy hotline and listen to the recorded readout.
Dial 707-443-6864
Press 1 to enter a buoy
Dial 46244 to listen to the most recent conditions at the North Spit.
7. North Jetty Station Wind &. Air Temp measurements by NOAA
Measurements taken by that tower at the end of the north jetty. Link here!
8. Monitoring and Prediction of Waves and Shoreline Change - Humboldt Bay North Spit 168
Pretty amazing fine-scale resolution predictions of wave height, peak & average period and direction (red) overlayed with actual recent observations (blue). Check it out here. Brought to you by the Coastal Data Information Program.
9. Camel Rock Cam
The name says it all. Thank you Trinidad Coastal Land Trust! Found here
10. A buddy who dawn patrols earlier than you.
...it had to be a top 10 list, right? :)
This short list is just scratching the surface, and hopefully is a good start to give you plenty to work with as you deepen your understanding of local, regional and global processes... and how they effect the waves you surf.
Cheers and happy surfing, Katie <3
EDIT 2023.03.04
I received an email from the founder of this cool tidechart website... check it out for the Humboldt Bay and surrounding spots here: https://www.tideschart.com/United-States/California/Humboldt-County/North-Jetty-at-Eureka/
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