H IS FOR...

HIGH SURF WARNING ON A HOLIDAY WEEKEND

Oceanside Harbor has been closed for the last couple of days because of the high surf. The photo above is of the south jetty submerged by waves of at least 10 feet.  The little black square above the wave is the beacon at end of the jetty.  The wave is coming from top left hand corner of the photo.  The other side of the jetty wall is where the harbor entrance is. I've been through that entrance many times in our sailboat -- but not in those conditions!  Believe me you don't want to try that. The entrance between the south and north jetty is about 40 feet and has a tendency to silt up which makes it dangerous at low tide.

Here comes another one! The grey speck above the wave this time is what we call Seal Buoy. It is about a mile off the harbor entrance.

This is disappointing for so many with sailboats.  The last weekend of the summer brings a lot of sailors out.  They come down from Dana Point or from Catalina Island, but don't come into Oceanside  in these seas, have to go on down to San Diego.  The weather is a gorgeous 74 degrees and the beaches are packed.  So why the heavy seas?  At this time of the year our big surf comes all the way from storms off New Zealand!

This is the north jetty with the waves breaking right over it.  The little man in the boat is the life guard or perhaps the harbor police, waiting to rescue any foolhardy souls who try to get through  the entrance. The entrance is just to the left of the other side of the jutting rocks. Most sailors don't even try but there are inexperienced small boaters and canoes playing around in the harbor who sometimes decide to see how close they can get.

 Although the beaches are crowded there are not many people in the water.  Serious rip currents in these waters. This surfer seems dangerously close to the south jetty but there are quite a few professional surfers who come out just for this kind of weather.  Just down the beach to the right there was a student surfing competition.  I don't think they even got in the water. There is another grey patch to the left of Seal Buoy and I think that is someone on a jet ski!  Could be another life guard on patrol.  I couldn't tell you how many boats have been lost in our harbor entrance since we have lived here -- including a harbor patrol boat.

It was a fun half hour or so.  Couldn't stay longer, too much traffic and no parking. So I went to the Jolly Roger for a cup of tea.

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This post is my contribution for Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday.  Click on the link and see all the  other intriguing contributions for this popular meme. It's fun -- and even educational.