Surfers Ride the Tropical Heat Waves

Surfers ditched their wetsuits and anglers reeled in loads of fish as the waters off Southern California’s coast warmed to record highs in some locations Tuesday, turning miles of shoreline into near-tropical playgrounds.

Local waters have heated up to summer-like temperatures over the last two weeks because of an unusual absence of the high winds and spring storms that normally force colder water to the surface this time of year, marine experts said.

“It’s the warmest water for this time of year that I’ve seen in 20 years,” San Clemente Marine Safety Lt. Bill Humphreys said.

The water off San Clemente registered a comfortable 70 degrees Tuesday, and Huntington Beach swimmers enjoyed 68-degree temperatures, up from a chilly 59 this time last year. Santa Monica Pier reported a comfortable 69 degrees Tuesday, 11 degrees higher than the same day a year ago. A few miles down the coast, in Hermosa Beach, the temperature peaked at 70 degrees.

Surfers and swimmers didn’t care much about the numbers. They were simply thrilled at the prospect of spending hours on end splashing around in the wet stuff.

“It’s almost Hawaii,” said Stephen Hart, 27, who was surfing at El Porto, a popular surfing spot in Manhattan Beach.

Scott Gow, a Dana Point surfer, chuckled about leaving his heavy wetsuit at home.

“I trunked it over the weekend, and it feels so nice,” Gow said. “But it was crowded, especially at Salt Creek where I surfed.”

The balmy temperatures managed even to impress old-hand lifeguards.

“Seventy degrees in May is unheard of,” said Joel Gitelson, senior ocean lifeguard at Los Angeles County’s Hermosa Beach lifeguard headquarters. “It usually gets this warm around August.”

Marine experts traced the cause of the warm water to mild weather.

They cite an unusually small number of spring storms out of the Gulf of Alaska. Such storms punch the coast with high winds and usually cause colder water from the depths to move toward the surface.

The current phenomenon “causes the water to stratify on top--that is, it remains on top where it can get cooked by the hot sun,” said Richard Cosgrove with the Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla. “This is affecting an area off Southern California beginning south of Ventura near the Channel Islands.”

In addition, a huge high-pressure zone stretching from Southern California to Colorado has pushed storms from the northwest away from the Los Angeles region, scientists said. They added that the current trend is unrelated to the well-known El Nino phenomenon, which is generated by warm tropical ocean currents off the equator.

“Some of these temperatures have been record highs for this time of year,” Jinx Wible, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County lifeguards, said of warm water at Hermosa Beach and other locations. “This is pretty early in the season for the water to get this warm.”

Marine biologists expressed concerns that higher ocean temperatures could harm sea life by stripping nitrates and other vital nutrients from the water. Scientists worry in particular about the effects on deep-green kelp forests that thrive along the California coast.

“When there are short, quick changes in ocean and current patterns, the effect is . . . food and nutrients for kelp are very scarce,” said Mia Tegner, a biologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla. “When that stretches [from] weeks to months, such as during an El Nino, the kelp starts to deteriorate and shows some problems.”

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Lifeguards, meanwhile, expressed concerns about human safety, noting that warm weather and warm water have combined to attract more beach-goers.

Lifeguards rescued more than 100 people from the water at beaches between Marina del Rey and Topanga Canyon last weekend, accounting for nearly a fifth of the rescues in that area since January.

But such concerns were far from the minds of fishermen, who were hauling in warm-water catches that normally would not show up for months.

Off Santa Catalina Island, fishermen were catching yellowtail and large bonita, fish that migrate north from the warm waters off the Baja California coast. San Diego and Orange County fishing boats reported huge success taking in yellowtail.

Davey’s Locker in Newport Beach reported catching an unusual number of large bonita in the 10- to 13-pound range. Usually, that size is found off the coast of Baja California, Skipper Norris Tapp said.

Marc Mills, manager of Dana Wharf Sportfishing in Dana Point, said they have caught small yellowfin tuna in the 8- to 12-pound range but have seen 30-pounders below kelp paddies while traveling to Santa Catalina Island.

“It’s still really early in the season for these kind of fish,” Mills said. “Most of the time we see a lot of the migratory fish after July. But if the water stays like this we might be seeing some really good yellowtail and dorado early in the season.”

Early Tuesday, a fisherman at the Santa Monica Pier hauled in a 24-pound halibut, setting off a buzz among the several dozen anglers there.

Keith Sanders of Los Angeles showed up, hoping that he too would bag a big one. He paused from his fishing for a moment to reflect on what he would do with such a catch.

“Have a giant fish fry and call up all my friends,” said Sanders, 40.

In at least one location, however, the warm water was hurting the fishing. The commercial salmon fishing fleet in Ventura, which had a banner year last year, has moved north to Morro Bay because of the high temperatures, said fisherman Tom Roff. Salmon like cooler temperatures and do not feed in water over 59 degrees, Roff said.

“Yeah, we’ve noticed the temperature change,” he said from a shipboard phone while fishing in Morro Bay. “I think it slowed the salmon catch down and that’s why most everybody moved up here.”

Despite the warm waters of recent weeks, there were signs Tuesday that a cooling trend is in store for the weekend.

The high-pressure zone that has been sitting over California and most of the Southwest is expected to weaken by Thursday, lowering ocean temperatures, said Curtis Brack, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

While no rain is predicted in Southern California, a storm is expected to bring rain to Northern California, cloud skies locally and allow northwest winds to push in, which could lower water temperatures.

Surfers at El Porto in Manhattan Beach winced at news of the impending change.

“Your hands and toes fall off from cold,” said George Ortiz, 21, as he emerged from the waves, his hair dripping over his surfboard. “Now it’s a lot more comfortable to surf.”

Times correspondent Scott Hadly contributed to this report.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

In Hot Water

A lack of wind and ocean churning has helped warm Southern California’s coastal waters to temperatures usually enjoyed in mid to late summer. Expect cooler water temperatures this weekend as the current high-pressure zone moves east and is replaced by a low front from the Northwest.

The Pressure’s On

A high-pressure front stalled over the Southwest has produced clear skies. Without morning clouds to burn off, the sun’s energy heats the ocean.

Upwelling Prevented

1. The front prevents Northwest winds that normally cause waves to churn surface water.

2. Without churning, called upwelling, surface water is not replaced by colder water from the ocean floor. This has produced warmer temperatures, especially near the shoreline. Water Temperatures

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Beach May 14, 1995 May 14, 1996 Dana Point 59 71 Huntington Beach 57 66 Newport Beach 61 68 San Clemente 59 72 San Onofre 59 72 Seal Beach n/a 69

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Fair-Weather Fish

Warmer than usual waters have lured a variety of sport fish ahead of schedule:

Yellowtail: Found in kelp beds off San Clemente and Santa Catalina islands

Striped Marlin: San Diego reports that billed fish are “heading north”

Pacific Bonito: Baja Mexico resident is hitting in large numbers

Kelp: Thrives in lower temperatures. Water above 70 degrees causes plants to break.

Sources: Individual lifeguard stations, California Department of Fish and Game, Orange Coast College, Orange County Harbors, Beaches and Parks, WeatherData Inc.

Researched by APRIL JACKSON / Los Angeles Times