From an offshore storm

  

The offshore buoy was reporting wave heights of ~22 feet earlier today (23 December 2024).  These were big waves, so I took a few photos for the record.  

Each photo has at least one gull in front of the wave for scale.  The gulls seem to love surfing the winds off these waves, which is fun to watch.  You can click on the images for larger versions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stormy conditions are going to continue for a while, so stay a safe distance away from these waves.

Skyward

 

 

A blowhole sending spray skyward in Mendocino County on 9 June 2024

Foam flurries

  

Recent weather forecasts have included a lot of different things  — scattered showers, gusty winds, elevated seas, flood advisories, thunderstorms, water spouts — but I don't think anyone mentioned foam flurries!  Strong winds and large waves conspired to launch pieces of foam skyward today (19 February 2024).

Here are a few wave photos, too.  Swell heights reached almost 20 feet:

 

Light in waves

  

The waves were still sizable at the coast today, with swell in the 14-17 foot range.  And I didn't expect it based on the forecast, but the sun was out for most of the day, leading to some beautiful colors in the water, especially in contrast to the breaking waves and spindrift.  Enjoy!  [You can click on the images for larger versions.]

 

 

 

 

 

Storm waves

  

Swell heights at the offshore buoy reached 28 feet this morning.  

In photos, it's often hard to tell how large the waves are, but having birds in the photo can help.  

For scale, most of the gulls in these photos have wingspans in the 4-foot range (some a little less, some a little more).  Each photo has at least one gull.  [You can click on the images for larger and sharper versions.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although there have been storms with similar wave heights in this area in the past, the two storms this year (5 January 2023 and today) have felt different, with much more intensity.  Best to use extra caution!

Wavelength?

  

Some nice waves off the outer beach of Point Reyes this morning (26 December 2023).  

At times the sun angle was just right to light up the spindrift!

 

 

The swell today was ~12 feet, but wave heights will be increasing this week from an offshore storm near the California/Oregon border.  Stay safe out there!

 

Nice combination

  

These waves weren't that big, but the angle of light and the wind direction combined to produce some nice colors in the spindrift.  Photographed 27 November 2023.

A bit of swell

  

A bit of wave splash today (19 October 2023).  The offshore buoy was reporting ~11 foot swell late in the day.

For scale, that's a Brown Pelican perched on the bluff in the upper right corner of the photo.  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

Sheared off

 

 

It's been a couple of weeks since the significant wave event during the early January storms, but I've been working on a small side project to document some of the storm impacts on Bodega Head.  

 

At the offshore buoy maximum recorded swell heights reached ~31 feet during the early morning of 5 January 2023.  Impressively, there were sustained swell heights of over 25 feet for at least 5 hours that day (coincident with a high tide), and swells over 20 feet continued for at least 24 hours.  These powerful waves sheared off many pieces of rock from the bluffs on Bodega Head.  Here's one example from a site that is ~30-40 feet above sea level.  The smoother, somewhat orange-colored rock is the new rock surface exposed after the storms.

Towards shore

  

A wave shot from 12 January 2023.

Break in the storm

 

 

There were 20-30 foot swells at the coast today.  It's always hard to judge scale when looking at wave photos.  Can you find the two gulls in the photo above?  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

 

And here's a different view:

 

 

 

 

Those are large waves!  While documenting some storm impacts, I came across a group of Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) huddled together on the upper beach.  It looked like they were just trying to get some rest:

 

 

 

Although there's more rain on the way, when I returned to Cotati there was a break in the clouds and a rainbow spreading across the sky to the east:

 

 

 

Take care during these stormy conditions.  💗

Drift

 

 

Now that's spindrift!  

 

Photographed off the southern end of Bodega Head on 12 January 2022.

 

[You can click on the image for a larger version.]

 

Tilting

 

 

The light was getting dim tonight, but here's a quick wave photo from 20 December 2021.

 

I hope you're able to find a moment to enjoy the Winter Solstice on the 21st!

Storm-driven

  

The buoy offshore of Point Reyes reported wave heights between 20-30 feet for most of the last 24 hours.  These photos were taken from Bodega Head this morning (25 October 2021).

As always, it's hard to judge the wave heights in photos without anything for scale.  Below, the Brown Pelicans help provide some perspective.  [Brown Pelicans have a wingspan of ~6.5 feet.]

 

 

 

Sometimes it's nice to see the backs of the waves as they roll by:

 

 

 

Storm swell

  

Pretty serious west swell today (22 October 2021) — the Point Reyes offshore buoy was reporting wave heights between 12-15 feet.

 

 

 

If you're at the coast this weekend, it's a good time to be aware of waves running far up the beach.  Be safe!

Rolling in

 

 

The first large swell of the season rolled up onto the coast this afternoon (28 September 2021).  Waves were predicted to be ~10-12 feet.  Looks like the strong winds built them up even more — the offshore Point Reyes buoy was reading 15-17 foot waves at the end of the day.

 

Before the rain

  

The ocean was a bit churned up today (5 March 2021) ahead of cold front that will bring some rain tonight.

Backlit

A few more wave photos for you, taken today (7 January 2021):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January swell

  

Large west northwest swell today (12-15 feet).  [You can click on the images for larger versions.]

 

 

Waves are predicted to be large through the week and into the weekend.  Please be safe and heed high surf advisories.  You can check for them on the NWS/San Francisco Bay Area website here or on their Twitter feed here.

 

Wave energy

I'm working on a project tonight, but here are a few more recent wave shots.  [Click on them for larger versions.]  Enjoy!