“Every time a new climate study comes out its worse than the last,” Hechter says. “Climate change means more big storms. More storms, more surf, right? I guess that’s the most you can say for such a calamity: Maybe we’ll get some epic waves.”
Not suprisingly, this positive approach is not to the liking of "experts". U.S. Geological
Survey´s Curt Storlazzi says that there will be prolonged periods - "a month or more" - of very small waves between the "epic swells", all due to global warming!:
According to Curt Storlazzi, a surfer and a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey who studies coastlines, it is true that climate change will likely cause ever-larger storms, and more epic swells. But that doesn’t take into account the varied effects of climate change. The periods between those swells will lengthen: surfers may get to enjoy a week of all-time surf, but that might be followed by a month or more of excruciating flatness. “Climate change makes extremes more extreme,” Storlazzi said. Over time, he added, because the waves between storms will get smaller even as the bigger waves get bigger, the average height of waves is likely to stay the same, and may even go down a bit.
Another "expert" agrees:
“The frequency where you have the exact right combination of tide, wind, and swell to make a classic surf day are going to be fewer and further between,” said David Revell, a senior associate with the environmental hydrology firm Phillip Williams and Associates. Revell said climate change will eventually have a profound affect on surfing, citing Rincon and Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz, as two good examples of breaks that could eventually be significantly affected by sea level rise. On a long enough time frame, Revell said, some low tide spots, like Supertubes in Los Angeles County, could disappear completely.
Both Revell and Storlazzi emphasized that new breaks will be created as sea level rise reconfigures the world’s coastlines, and they noted that surf spots that break better at high tide may benefit from the changes. But they said that for the foreseeable future the overall effect of advancing seas is likely to be more destructive than constructive.
However, Jacob Hechter, 30, a surfer at Rincon in Santa Barbara, does not seem to be too worried about Storlazzi´s and Revell´s warnings (And I agree with him. The small waves "theory"- as well as the entire global warming alarmism - is basically nothing but junk science ):
“Who knows where my kids and grandkids are going to be surfing,” Hechter, who is 30, says before he pushes off the last rock and paddles out. “But I’m looking forward to some all-time swells.”
Read the entire article here
1 comment:
As someone who used to surf when I lived at the Jersey shore, what the idiot scientist is describing is called "summer on the east coast". Typically, July and August stink for surfing. The winds tend to blow from the west, especially during the day, so even if there are waves they often get blown out. When there are waves, they tend to be smaller. But, there will be some days with bigger waves as offshore storms blow them in.
One time there was a massive nor-eastern which resulted in 20+foot waves. That was a hoot!
Typically, the best waves are during the spring and fall. That's when the wind blows from east to west best.
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