I’m still hanging on to the memories of last week’s surf and yet I’m instantly gearing up for the next one.

So, what’s the forecast looking like for the week?

Better get organised and work out what, where, when and of course how I can make this happen.

First up let’s check Surfline’s view on my favourite selection of UK surf breaks in the Southwest.

Web Cams, check, swell size, period and direction, check and then let’s check a load of spots that I’m never going to be near just for the hell of it as I get sucked into all manner of options around the world.

Second up Wind Guru, just to see how they see the same base data from NOAA & other weather sites, yep seems to be in line. Plenty of swell and wind direction similar.

Right better check the wind direction for my favourite spots. XC Weather shows wind is from the S to SW but Windy really localises the shift as the low edges in against the high pressure that seems to have been wedged across Scandinavia for over a month.

Lastly what are the tides up to this week? Big tides, little tides — oooh it’s neap (little) tides this week which means more time for spots that like a higher tide.

Seems easy but the next two elements are always the deal breaker even when all the elements line up for most non – pros.

1. What is in the home calendar for the week covering the Wife, Kids, Parents and Parents in Law?
2. What is in the work calendar?

Ooh I think I can make it work Wednesday around lunchtime and may be a dawny Thursday, don’t dilly dally lock it in and go!

More on what these sessions were like in due course but let’s reflect on what this would have been like in the past when all of this information was not readily available.

Well of course it was sooo sporadic, hit and miss, potluck or shall we just call it clunky in comparison.

A brief recap…..

Surf forecasting for me pre- internet involved, checking the BBC weather reports or Ceefax pages on the TV and look for the low – pressure systems on route to the UK. Listening to the Shipping Forecasts on the radio (Gale force 8 😊) and mainly just turning up at a spot and hope there was some surf.

In the mid 90’s the premium rate telephone surf report & forecast appeared. No, you could find out what the conditions were likely to be at a variety of main spots along the coasts. You were lucky if it was updated before 10/11am but you could pick a region you were interested in, wait for the reader to mention the surf spot you were interested in and hear what the reader said about the condition of the day. On some telephone surf reports there would be a secret phrase was given in the first 10 seconds  giving you the heads up if it was worth continuing with the rest of the report and meant you could ring off within 10 seconds and save your phone bill but you still had to pray that the report was accurate in the first place and this only came to light when you arrived at your chosen spot.

Surf shops & amateur forecasters start to create a web presence with regular surf reports with the occasional pictures. Access to raw data & basic graphs from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) web site for forecasted wave & wind models (US Government) and the National Data Buoy Centre (UK Government) for key wave buoy data covering swell height, period and direction nearshore providing some insight into what might going on in that moment.

And today, we can now access multiple web sites, live web cams, 24/7 recordings of waves for watch back, mobile phone surf applications with embedded Artificial Intelligence (AI) on your telling you when the best day  is based on an algorithm land topped up with a cacophony of social media posts from other aficionados frothing with their regular crew working out when and if they can get together and share a few waves together.

And yet even with all this seemingly plethora of information at our fingertips, there is a whole heap of inaccuracies that require us to add out own interpretations to keep the committed and regulars of certain spots entertained when the masses have tuned out because the computer says not today 😊😊brilliant!!

So with all that said what are my plans for my saltwater fix this week?

Well looks like onshore beach breaks this week but a hint of some bigger stuff for next weekend that might wake up some of the points.

Loads of options and my first thought is how do I do them all??