Peak Conditions for Sure-Fire Surfing

Mild temperatures brought on by hot desert air from Santa Ana winds continued Monday, combining with powerful, eight-foot waves to make the day perfect for surfing.

Waves, caused by a storm in the Gulf of Alaska, were reported as high as eight feet at Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. But surfers and lifeguards said the waves peaked high and broke late, making conditions ideal. A weather forecaster said the continued presence of a high-pressure system was unusual.

“They’re having a great day,” said Newport Beach lifeguard Brent Renek. “Sunny, no wind, great surf. It breaks at one point and the rest of it follows, so the surfers can ride it instead of it all breaking at once.”

Mark Gasich, 39, of Costa Mesa, said that he only sees such surfing conditions about 10 times a year. But often that doesn’t come with the warm weather. The temperature at Newport Beach was 71 degrees, and in Santa Ana, it was 80 degrees, well above the average 69.8 degrees for this time of year.

“This is about as good as it gets,” said Gasich, who had just come off a popular surfing spot on Newport Beach at the mouth of the Santa Ana River. “Swelling and Santa Anas are a very good mix.”

Surfers also marveled at the waves’ “barrels and tubes,” which allow riders to “tunnel” through a wave after it peaks, Gasich said.

“I haven’t seen it this good in maybe six months,” said surfer Eric Elsner, 36, of Huntington Beach. “It’s peaking pretty good and it’s really hollow.”

Forecasters predicted that the waves would be lower today, although the warm weather is expected to continue through the end of the week.

The warm temperatures are caused by a lingering high-pressure system over Southern California that usually breaks in October, often giving way to Pacific storms and cooler air. Instead, the storms have been routed to the Northwest, and temperatures have stayed warm because of the hot, dry Santa Ana winds.

“It is pretty unusual to have sustained so long,” said Marty McKewon, a meteorologist at WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times. “We’re in early December and there’s still a high-pressure system. It’s still holding its ground.”

Although November data for Orange County wasn’t available, temperatures at the Civic Center in Los Angeles averaged 66.9 degrees, about four degrees above normal, said Rick Dittmann, another WeatherData meteorologist.

Dittmann said temperatures should be cooler today, in the mid- to upper-60s on the coast and 70s inland. The warm weather should return Wednesday, when inland areas will reach the low to mid 80s.

But the high-pressure system might break by the end of the week. Cooler temperatures could arrive in five to eight days, Dittmann said.

“My gut feeling is that this won’t last until the end of the year,” he said. “But I’ve been saying that for a month.”

Those on the beach would prefer Monday’s conditions every day.

“This is California at its best,” Lisa Boskovich, 20, of Fountain Valley, said as she watched the waves. “Could it be any better than this?”

Rick Stamy, 35, of Huntington Beach, was out at 6 a.m. to catch the surf. The waves were so good, he said, that he stayed in the water for 6 1/2 hours, after which he had to go to work.

“It’s just a great, classic day,” Stamy said. “It’s one of the most unreal things. . . . It’s so nice.”

But not everyone was riding high.

Dave Martinez, 33, of Newport Beach, broke his surfboard when a powerful wave split it in half as he was paddling to catch another swell at about 12:30 p.m.

“They’re just real powerful,” said Martinez, holding what was left of his board.

“I kind of feel like I’ve been in a football game,” he said. “I’ve been abused.’