“When the heat’s got you down

Here’s what you oughta

Get yourself in that cool, cool water.”

                        “Cool, Cool Water” Beach Boys, 1970

As monsoonal clouds lurk over the mountains, the temperature and humidity seem in a race. Depending on the winner, weather conditions can get uncomfortable. “Back in the day” – the 1960s – home air conditioning was a window unit and most families did not have one. If you reached the point of “I can’t stand this heat any longer!” and if time allowed, the beach became your destination. I was lucky; living right next door was a real surfer. Jimmy could be found in the garage waxing his board, dreaming of catching the big one (wave, not fish). His little sister was my best neighborhood friend.

During the summer I joined their “surfin’ safari” and headed to Zuma. Our mode of transportation was an orange and white VW bus. We traveled light … picnic lunch (tuna sandwiches, chips, grapes, Oreos and Coke), towels, sand buckets/shovels, towels and Sea & Ski Suntan Lotion. I think Jimmy’s surfboard stuck out the back. Yes, it’s a fond memory.

These past two weeks, 700,000 people gathered in Huntington Beach, or “Surf City,” to watch the U.S. Open of Surfing, the world’s largest surf competition. The best surfers in the world (including dogs) compete for the most prestigious prizes in surfing. It is the largest action-sports competition and festival in the country, carrying on a tradition that began at the pier in 1959. 2019’s contest began with three-to-four-foot surf and in the final days waves reached six feet.

For having such average waves year round, why do you think people were so drawn to Huntington back then – and now for that matter? Why didn’t surfers claim Zuma or Malibu as “Surf City?”

Easy freeway access for most people, tons of parking, a huge pier for spectators, and the surf almost never goes completely flat would be my guesses. Ironically, the finest conditions are in the fall and winter months.

During this time, Santa Ana winds kick in. Their offshore wind direction meets the Pacific Swell. The Pacific Swell is winds generated by distant weather systems opposed to local winds. The result is – in surfer talk – a pure glass surf.

Before the days of the Internet, surfers used TV and newspaper weather reports and tide charts to forecast the surf. Now technology, including satellites and advancements in meteorology, has almost changed surfing into a science. In most cases –then and now – if there are waves, you surf; if not, back to the garage you go.

Fog along the coast and average summer temperatures are predicted through the weekend. Come mid-week, the heat gets turned up. A trip to Zuma is still a good idea.

Sue Kilpatrick is a Crescenta Valley
resident and  Official Skywarn
Spotter for the National Weather Service. Reach her at suelkilpatrick@gmail.com.