Sea Surface Temp Anomoly Beginning to Take Familiar Shape

While it may be too early to go so far as to predict the return of El Niño this Winter, the most recent Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Anomoly charts are beginning to show the trademark pattern as evidenced by the most recent image displayed above that was generated today.  While NOAA forecasters are officially calling for ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation)-neutral (i.e., "normal"), conditions, unusual/freak occurrences that usually co-occur with the phenomenon are starting to happen such as sea creatures showing up in atypical places such as the Stellar Sea Lion that showed up here in Santa Barbara last month.  The last time one such animal was found in our area was during the potent El Niño of 1982-1983.  At this point there is not much for us to do but watch things unfold with eager anticipation...

Malibu Surf Contest Showcases Heroic Performances By Local Surfers

Recap

"For the Santa Barbara Surf Club, this weekend's Call To The Wall contest at Malibu was dominated by two remarkable performances. There were many highlights, including twelve finalists across all age divisions. For the younger members, highlight performances included Glenny Rodgers' 2nd place and Emi Yates's 4th place finishes in the Girls 14 and under division. Our youngest competitor, 11 year old Willy Fillandy, who is well on his way to becoming a Rincon regular, finished 5th in his first ever Malibu contest. Ultimately, Gabe Biancone and Rochelle King-MacMurray stole the day for the club. Gabe set out at the beginning of the summer with two competitive goals for the next few years. He wanted to make a final at a Malibu contest (largely regarded as the most competitive events of the year) and win a contest. On Sunday he did both by making the finals of the Junior Men's Division and ultimately winning convincingly. When they announced his name, he was surprised but no one else was. He dominated from start to finish. Sunday was a big day for Rochelle, kicking it off at 9:15am in Zuma Beach with the start of the Tommy Zahn Paddle Race - an 11 mile endurance race from Zuma Beach to the Malibu Pier. She left Zuma knowing that she had to make it to Malibu by 11:30 for the start of her finals surf heat. After 2 hours 20 minutes (and five minutes into her Finals heat) she arrived from her paddle, grabbed her orange jersey and ran up the beach to join her surfing heat. During the final 10 minutes of her heat, she managed to catch several good waves and ultimately finished 3rd, despite her level of exhaustion and shortened time in the water. Overall, it was another successful weekend for Santa Barbara. Finalists included: Willy Fillandy 5th place 12 and under boys, Glennie Rodgers 2nd place 14 and under girls, Emi Yates 4th place 14 and under girls, Gabe Biancone 1st place Junior Men, Lindsey DalPozzo 6th place Junior Women, Rochelle King-MacMurray 3rd place Women Division 1, Deb Trauntvein 5th place Women Division 2, local Santa Cruz beefcake Waylon Olson 3rd place Mens Division 2, Tommy Dane 4th place Mens Division 3, JP Garcia 5th Mens Division 3, Greg Doan 5th place Mens Division 5, Mike Haskell 5th place Mens Division 6. Also from Santa Barbara and finishing the Tommy Zahn paddle race were Nick Bobroff and Rick Chrysler."  --Kudos to local competitors!!

Sizeable Southern-Hemi Expected to Hit This Weekend

By most accounts, this Summer's Southern-Hemi season has been a bit on the disappointing side, but things are expected to change dramatically with the coming of a significant swell event to the West Coast this weekend.  All of the major surf forcasting sites are calling for head-high or better long-interval swell, so dust off your Winter boards and head to your favorite exposed South-facing beach!