Ground swell? Looks like tsunami. Coastal towns flood.

California is fortunate, and has two Silver Strand Beaches. One is Silver Strand State Beach in San Diego County, and the other, a little beach colony in Ventura County. I was bragging about our surf in Ventura County, but we have spend a couple of nights at the other Silver Strand, too.

Talley, to old to handle the waves at the Strand,"jetty's" and the cold water, but you know that was where I learned to surf in the 60's. Now I just do a little every year on my long boards in Mexico where the water is in the 80's. My balance just isn't the same!
Thanks for rubbing it in! LOL

When I lived in Imperial Beach and commuted to North island in the winter and there was a storm and high surf, at the entrance to the Coronado Kays there is an over pass for the traffic going South, the waves would crash under the overpass and funnel out so hard they would push the vehicles from the left side of the road all the way to the right and some times of the road, I used to slow down to be able to time the waves and pass between the crashing waves, that beach is the Silver Strand in the County of San Diego.

High surf, high tides, the moon in the right place and low lying coastal areas and you have problems, I hope that no one was hurt, a lot of financial loss, I can only wish them the best.

navegator

Surf's up here on Silver Strand, our beach here in Southern California.

Eat your heart out Iguana!!!! That's meant fondly....

It would effect south facing beaches coming from that direction. It is a yearly part of the weather pattern. During late spring and summer, storms that originate in the Southern Hemisphere create swells that travel north and hit southern facing beaches. Same occurs in our winter when the North and North/west swells from storms hit our north and west facing beaches.
Depending on size of storms, which create the swells and some other ocean stuff determines the size of the swells. Now depending on depth of the ocean floor heading to the beach and tide can make the swells increase in size to give you bigger waves. That is why some surf break/beaches from the same swells can have LARGER waves.
Hope this helps. Old surfer am I!

I am not a surfer, learnt something new, thank's.

navegator

This wave action, known a fundo del mar if I remember correctly, happens nearly every year. It has nothing to do with earthquakes and always arrives this time of year. Ask any big time surfer, these guys travel 1000's of miles tracking the waves. This year was noted as the most powerful in 20 years.

They are probably remnants of tsunamis from several 6+ earthquakes from the Papua area in the Pacific ring of fire coupled with several lows that have brought high surf to the California coasts.

There have been high surf advisories all week long for North facing beaches.

navegator