Learning how to read weather reports

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

ScubaShan

Registered
Messages
13
Reaction score
1
Location
Covina, CA
# of dives
0 - 24
Southern California diver, I mostly dive Palos Verdes because it's more convienent for my dive buddy, he dives in the AM, cleans up then goes to work. (On my off days). PV is very hit not miss, I don't really know how to read surf reports or even know of good ones to look at. Not all PV spots have information on them. What sites are recommended and what exactly am I looking for when searching these sites?
 
i wish i could help you in your specific area. but i live in miami :/

In general, i take a quick glance at the forecast wing speed and wave height is all i ever look at. for me 5-6 feet = rough day. not necessarily a bad dive but a better chance of a bad dive. waves 4-3 ok day and 0-2 good day this is trip wise. ive had some good dives on rough days, its just been a pain on the boat/ getting back. wind wise 20+ knots = really bad, 20-15=not great 15-10 = ok 10 - 0 great. This is kinda relative to wave height.

note that over where you live there my be some special things to look at like direction of wind etc. not so much where i live. hopefully some one that lives close to you gives some pointers

dont expect to guess what the underwater conditions are going to be like tho. many times thats a toss up at least for me.
 
Yeah the location that I've been diving in is really just a roll of the dice for viz, I'm trying to rework my schedule so that my days off are on weekends so that we CAN head further south to all the good spots. For example we dove on Malaga cove,palos verdes CA, and couldn't see but 2 feet in front of us. We got out and went south to laguna beach and we we're able to see 20 ft or so in front. These beaches are just unpredictable. I grew up LOOKING for waves now I'm trying not to find them. Thanks for the mini diagram of wave height and wind speed I'll take that into account and compare with what websites say vs what it looks like at the beach.
 
As an East and Gulf coaster, my comments will be general.

Wind is stated in the direction from which it blows. Current is stated in the direction towards which it flows. So an easterly wind and a westerly current both move from East to West.

Onshore winds (from the west for you west coasters) will kick up a larger sea/wave than offshore winds. And height of wave is only half the story--the wave period (time in seconds from one crest to the next, ditto with troughs) matters a lot. A four-foor sea with a 10-second period is a gentle rolling wave. Same height with a 5-second period is short and steep, difficult for shore swimmers and divers (and for boats too).

You'll want to listen to the locals for more Cali-specific details.
 
Hi there, as other posters have said, there are location specific considerations. Where I dive (Sydney) I take into account both the sea forecast (the action of the wind on the waves in your location) and the swell (waves which have been caused by wind elsewhere and have travelled to where you are). Depending on the interaction between the local wind direction and the direction of the swell, they can counteract each other to a degree or work together to produce heavier seas. Also note that most forecasts work on averages, and individual waves can be significantly higher.

Like Nolatom said, wave period is an important consideration, and so is tide - depending on where you're diving, tides can cause significant currents. Slack tide (which is around the time the tide turns) is the best time to dive. Here in Sydney, some of our dive sites are at the pinch point between the heads (the mouth of the harbour where it opens to the sea) so we get the strongest tidal currents in those locations between two hours after the turn of the tide, and two hours before the next change in direction.

I try to pick the brains of the skipper on our dive boat as much as possible, as he can read the sea like a book and has taught me a lot, so if you can find someone similar, grill them mercilessly!

Our local meteorological bureau has good marine forecasts, and I'm sure there's a similar organisation in your location where you can get the info. Another site I sometimes visit, which has a reasonably user-friendly summary of key information, is Windguru - I know they have forecasts for Hawaii, not sure about California but worth checking out.

Finally, good on you (as we say here) for taking the time to educate yourself on sea conditions - knowledge is power!

Happy diving!
 
Over the years I have learned - the weather reports are only good for the top side. Underneath you are not guaranteed clear water - that said heavy storms will leave the waters murky for days especially shore diving. Clear days don't always mean clear waters but that does not bother me. I generally try for a full week of good weather - I check near by buoy stations on NDBC - National Data Buoy Center that gives me wind speed, direction, wave height and wave period - which I find helpful for where I dive. Start diving and check this information before the dive to help you decide if it is relevant for your area.
Edited post - Forgot to mention you can zoom into your area for the relevant buoys (yellow diamonds).
 
Me and my dive buddy have decided to retire Palos Verdes and San Pedro for awhile, we just haven't had much luck with visability in any of the locations we've been too. I'm trying to get my work schedule changed so I have days off when he does so that we can travel south to Laguna and hopefully have better luck with clearer waters. Anyone know the best time of the year to hit up PV? I've only been going there since January to now.
 
National Weather Service

NDBC - Southwest USA Recent Marine Data

The first link is to the NOAA forcasts and the second is to the Bouys in your area. By reading these and correlating to conditions on the dive site you can, over time, get a feel for what the dive site will be like. Factor in the tides, the direction of the swell, and how long after a storm the viz gets better and you have a better chance at good conditions, or know what alternate site is better to dive.

Dive shops sometimes have site conditions from folks returning gear or refilling tanks.

Also check for "ocean cams" in the area to get your eyes on the ocean from your computer.

It takes time to develop a feel for predicting conditions. And even now, sometimes when I get there I'm wrong so I hope you don't have the hour and a half drive I do to actually see the conditions.



Bob
------------------------------------
There is no problem that can't be solved with a liberal application of sex, tequila, money, duct tape, or high explosives, not necessarily in that order.
 
I check the CDIP swell nowcast page.

CDIP recent nowcast spc

and the forecast page. CDIP recent forecast

These pages only give an idea of what true conditions are going to be at your specific site, but what I find useful is the direction of the swells. Like if its coming directly from South, then Catalina is going to create a shadow affect to Palos Verdes area. Also, some days I've seen Malaga all choppy, and then Old Marineland totally calm.
 
National Weather Service

NDBC - Southwest USA Recent Marine Data

The first link is to the NOAA forcasts and the second is to the Bouys in your area. By reading these and correlating to conditions on the dive site you can, over time, get a feel for what the dive site will be like. Factor in the tides, the direction of the swell, and how long after a storm the viz gets better and you have a better chance at good conditions, or know what alternate site is better to dive.

Dive shops sometimes have site conditions from folks returning gear or refilling tanks.

Also check for "ocean cams" in the area to get your eyes on the ocean from your computer.

It takes time to develop a feel for predicting conditions. And even now, sometimes when I get there I'm wrong so I hope you don't have the hour and a half drive I do to actually see the conditions.



Bob
------------------------------------
There is no problem that can't be solved with a liberal application of sex, tequila, money, duct tape, or high explosives, not necessarily in that order.


Great advice. I might add to also see what direction the wind's coming in. If you have a strong wind heading dead on into the beach, you'll get big waves.
If say the beach is surrounded by cliffsides, then some wind directions might not effect waves at all, since the cliffs shield it. This little tidbit to look out for often confused the classes I taught, because there would seem to be no consistency with wind speed. You've have 10mph winds and sometimes the beach would be dead flat, other times it would be pumping; only difference was what direction the wind was coming from.

It will take some time to learn, you kinda have to use intuition on top of reading conditions. You'll get the hang of it eventually.
 

Back
Top Bottom