DANGER, Will Robinson, DANGER!

BIG swells heading for the coast.  Don't get caught off-guard by this system.   

"Do not go here".... Ab, are you sure you're not a hell bent big wave surfer trying to keep the crowds down at some mysto super break in your backyard? 

Z

You've got me figured out, Zee!   

Seriously though, this is way bigger than what they hope for to have a Maverick's day, isn't it?  That would be more like 12' @ 17 seconds from the SW or something, eh?

Yeah.......when the 20-plus footers are coming in on Rodeo Beach at Ft. Cronkite just north of Bonita Point....when they reach the long ridge of Potato Patch Shoals they crest and begin to spill.

So standing on Rodeo Beach a kayaker like myself, visualizing his boat in front of one of those waves (it would broach you, and you would end up bracing over into the wave-front riding it sideways)......watching that break......you decide to hold your breath, exactly as you would be doing in your boat, because the foam in front of that wave would probably have so much water in it that you maybe could not breathe, so you'd have to hold your breath.

And you draw a deep breath and begin holding as you see a wave hit Potato Patch Shoal and begin breaking......sweeping south....continuous breaking....sweeping south.....and you run out of air and pop open your mouth and take a breath.   And the wave out there is still breaking, still traveling and still breaking and you shake your head, impressed.

Judd

Nice imagery, Judd, but you're turning blue, Dude!   

This is the swell I've been waiting for Eric. I'll be out in Trinidad Balls to wall in my 18' sea kayak training for upcoming BCU 5 star exam. Your welcome to come along I've plenty o sea-kayaks 

This is the swell I've been waiting for Eric. I'll be out in Trinidad Balls to wall in my 18' sea kayak training for upcoming BCU 5 star exam. Your welcome to come along I've plenty o sea-kayaks 

Hey, Hawk!  Long time, Bro.  No thanks on the rodeo-yakking!  You go for it, Dude.  Let us know how it goes, and keep in touch in '09.  We need to get that HumBoats video produced.   

Checking back with an update of how hairy it got:

12 25 4:50 pm    N 25.3 33.0 30.8 15 11.2 NW

That's 4:50PM on Christmas, north winds were 25.3 knots with gusts to 33.  30.8' swell at 15 seconds from the NW at the Eel River Buoy just offshore from my neighborhood.  Both yesterday and today I can see individual breakers behind the shore-break from 6 miles away at 101!  Pretty crazy!   

  My dad is at his beach house in King Salmon.  I called over and he said the surf was breaking over the north jetty by the coast guard station.  He said King Salmon was pretty untouched, with just an occasional wave over the north rocks.  Too rough to crab or fish though.  I read this was started from some earth quake up by Alaska?  Pretty amazing.

I read this was started from some earth quake up by Alaska?  Pretty amazing.

A storm in the Gulf of Alaska, but I don't know that an earthquake was involved.  If so please add a link.

I came, I saw, I paddled hard. The swells bark was loud but it's bite wasn't vicious, the waves it kicked up were quite booty-licious.

Your right Abking, it was a storm surge.  The info i got was word of mouth based on this:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/region/N_America.php

I checked the NOAA site and it links it to the storm that pushed through.  Must have been quite a storm!  Matt

If it was caused by an earthquake, it would have been a tsunami, not a swell.

I have never seen a 30 foot swell, and I hope to NEVER see a 30 foot tsunami!