We’ve just had a run of very dry and hot weather, buoyed up by the Santa Ana winds. Coupled with a 5-7 foot swell in the water it makes for amazing surfing conditions. Even better it was a combo swell – ie a south swell mixed with a NW swell making the waves peaky. The winds howl offshore and hence sculpt the waves, giving them a hollow shape and extra size and form. As it was a southerly swell the waves peel off perfectly on the west facing beaches and as they break the wind blows off white spray. It’s beautiful and made for some epic waves.

I’ve lived in Southern California for almost 9 years now (gulp) and normally remember Santa Ana winds, which form in the desert hence their dry and hot nature, coming around October time. The temperatures at the beach were 95-100 which is incredibly hot and the place feels like a furnace (hence also the risk of wild fires in the tinder like forests).

I love it when various climatic factors – winds and combo swells – come together to form amazing conditions like this and we are simply left to enjoy all that nature throws at us.