El Nino 2019

[BoMan]

El Nino is happening again!
How did it affect you in 2015-16 and what do you think will happen this time around?

El Nino Finally Forms - USA Today
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/14/el-nino-natural-warming-ocean-water-forms-climate-scientists/2868209002/

California Effects
http://www.surfline.com/community/whoknows/whoknows.cfm?id=1056

[oldmansurfer]

Well it might explain all the good surf I had back then and maybe the good surf that has been happening at my beach during the last 2 weeks. Some really incredible surf going down but I am missing it all due to work and shoulder problems

[surferbee]

Not sure that NOAA map quite got it right. Lot's of cool/cold wet weather on the West Coast. Multiple days of snow at seal level in the Pacific NW. Personally, all the rain is keeping me out of the water since there's a higher risk of infection within 72 hours of a storm. Ok, maybe I don't quite wait 72 hours if the waves are good, but still:
https://sfwater.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html
http://maps.smcgov.org/beachmonitoring/
And this from 2016: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Santa-Cruz-beach-ranked-worst-in-water-quality-7946189.php

[BoMan]

In 2015-16 the waves were consistently better after storms. I could count on several solid days beyond the initial surge. This year, it looks more like this...

...and I drive to another break or pull out the battleship.

[RinkyDink]

Personally, all the rain is keeping me out of the water since there's a higher risk of infection within 72 hours of a storm. Ok, maybe I don't quite wait 72 hours if the waves are good, but still:

I don't always wait 72 hours either Actually, I tend to wait 24 hours, but then I go to breaks that are less prone to runoff. I don't go near Capitola after heavy rains. Still, I try to plan my surfing sessions around my physical condition. I don't surf when I'm sore any more. I wait until my body has repaired itself. This is my new exercise secret sauce and injury prevention. Anyway, it's relevant because I can give my body a couple more days of repair time if I time my session to avoid heavy rain risks.I surf because I love it, but I also surf because I know I need to work out. That means that I can often end up in junk surf, but at least I got my workout in.

[surferbee]

Yeah, stay away from those Combined Sewage Discharge sites. I went by Linda Mar earlier in the week when the pump house was spewing and it did NOT smell good at all. The beach was posted for elevated bacterial levels as well. And people were still out front trying to paddle into crappy little closeouts. Not worth it, IMO. I drove a little further south and had some fun, though.

Sometimes I'll surf the first day of a storm, in the rain if it's not too heavy. It's funny because people are like, "What? You're going surfing in the RAIN?!?" And I say, "Yeah, I guess I'll get wet, huh?" The lineups are usually pretty empty, though, and I've had some good sessions in light rain.

[ConcreteVitamin]

Yeah, stay away from those Combined Sewage Discharge sites. I went by Linda Mar earlier in the week when the pump house was spewing and it did NOT smell good at all. The beach was posted for elevated bacterial levels as well. And people were still out front trying to paddle into crappy little closeouts. Not worth it, IMO. I drove a little further south and had some fun, though.

Sometimes I'll surf the first day of a storm, in the rain if it's not too heavy. It's funny because people are like, "What? You're going surfing in the RAIN?!?" And I say, "Yeah, I guess I'll get wet, huh?" The lineups are usually pretty empty, though, and I've had some good sessions in light rain.

Is this a good indicator map for Linda Mar and "further south": http://maps.smcgov.org/beachmonitoring/ ?

[surferbee]

Haha! Nice try, ConcreteVitamin! But yeah, that map is useful. The real trick, like RinkyDink said, is to find breaks that aren't exposed to a ton of runoff - so generally away from developed areas or creek mouths. Surfline can offer some suggestions, too:
https://www.surfline.com/surf-reports-forecasts-cams-map/@37.3182979289999,-122.43164062500001,10z