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Cape Cod Surf Outlook week of April 6 PDF Print E-mail
Surfing News
Written by Mike Marks   
Saturday, 12 April 2008

nantucket buoy

Outlook as of Saturday 10am - Nantucket buoy is currently showing 3' SE swell 11 sec. This means solid waist high at Cape beaches. Low tide is at 11:45 and the wind is SW at approx 15 mph. Nice conditions. A brief but nasty little thunder squall passed over this morning and there could be more this afternoon. Keep an eye out to the west. Tomorrow there'll be less wind out of NW and waist high as well. By Wednesday or Thursday next week we could be looking at 2X overhead.




Friday 7am - Another pleasant day today with waist high under sunny skies this morning and a light onshore. Low tide is at 10:30. Clouds come this afternoon. Tomorrow will see better surf, maybe chest high and offshore wind... with rain likely.

Thursday 10:30am - Waist to chest from SE under sunny skies with gentle offshore and 55F. High tide is around 3:30. Work can be put off until tomorrow...

Wednesday 8:30am -Nice day today! We have waves in the chest high range. Low tide is around 9am; there's a light onshore wind and it's sunny. Tomorrow will see chest high again with wind SSW at around 15mph. Go and get it.

Tuesday 9:45am - NE wind will lighten tomorrow and things will clean up a lot but not totally. Thursday is looking outstanding with 10 sec+ interval 4.5 ft E swell coming in, offshore wind and 50F air!!!

Monday 6:10am -  Nantucket Buoy is showing 9.2 feet out of the east at 8 sec intervals with a supporting east wind at 21 kts. Wed, Thurs, Fri all look promising with some long period swell in the 4'+ range.  Wind should lighten up Wed and shift to SSW for Thurs.  

Sunday 9:30am -  A low pressure system will be parked offshore for this week sending us waves 2X overhead on Monday and dropping to chest+ by Thursday.  Unfortunately a 20mph wind will be blowing onshore with the larger waves.  The wind could lighten up enough on Wed. for nice conditions. Thursday is the only day showing an offshore wind.

 NOAA forecast for the Cape Cod area.

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Last Updated ( Sunday, 13 April 2008 )
 
Northeast Region Surf Championships PDF Print E-mail
Surfing News
Written by Mike Marks   
Wednesday, 09 April 2008
Northeast Regional Surf Championships
May 2-4, 2008, Montauk, NY

Its that time of year again when the top 350 ESA surfers from New England, New York, New Jersey and the Great Lakes will vie for coveted invitations to the 2008 Eastern Surfing Championships (The Easterns’ ) and the USA Surfing Championships through their Regional Championships.

These contest slots are filled by invitation only. Competitors must advance through their district to be eligible for the Regional Championships and place in the top percentage again to be invited to the East Coast Championships in the fall of each year.

Follow the competitors journey, get involved or just check out their website at www.surfesa.org For 2007 results click on http://www.surfesa.org/content/view/44/43/

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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 09 April 2008 )
 
RI Surf contest April 26th PDF Print E-mail
Surfing News
Written by Mike Marks   
Monday, 07 April 2008
RI Surf contestSign up at 7am at 2nd Beach in Midddletown RI on Saturday April 26th back-up day is Sunday) for the Ruth Abbruzzi Surf Contest. Waterbros is running the contest to benefit the Alzheimers Association of RI. There's a $20 entry fee and prizes for all divisions. For more info call 401-862-5189 visit: www.myspace.com/waterbros
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Last Updated ( Monday, 07 April 2008 )
 
Lower stress fishing in Canadian waters PDF Print E-mail
Fishing News
Written by Mike Marks   
Sunday, 06 April 2008
Image

Oceans, rivers and lakes look free of the borders that annoy and confound land and air travellers.  When a boater crosses from the waters of one country into those of another there is no guard to wave to. That  illusion can be a problem.  Last year 54 year old Richard Baker was crusing along with a fishing line lowered into the waters of the US Virgin Islands when, without noticing it, he crossed into the waters of the British Virgin Islands.  The water looks the same on both sides of the border after all.  In the event, the BVI coast guard saw his line pulling through BVI waters and arrested him for fishing without a license.  He was fined $46,000.  Unable to pay the fine he was sentanced to one year in jail.  That's a severe consequence for not paying attention to the GPS.  Well here's a small piece of good news for folks who take their boats to fish in Canadian waters: you can fish and even anchor there without having to report to customs officials.  BUT you still need a Canadian fishing license. Here's the full story from Eric Sharp.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 02 May 2008 )
 
Cape Cod Surf Outlook Week of March 30 PDF Print E-mail
Surfing News
Written by Mike Marks   
Friday, 04 April 2008

nantucket buoy

Outlook as of Saturday 11:30am - Looking good for this afternoon. Healthy swell out of the south delivering head high. Next week should have waves from Tuesday-Friday.

Thursday April 3 12:15pm - CG cam shows what might shape up to be waist high at low tide (around 4pm). Swell is out of NNW. Nantucket Bouy shows 3.9' at 7 secs. Wind is SW at 17.

Wednesday April 2 -Things didn't shape up as expected today. But Saturday and Sunday still look good.

Monday, March 31 - Wednesday might have chest+ out of the south with a strong offshore to contend with. Saturday/Sunday are looking potentially very good with head+ and clean conditions.

Sunday, March 30th - There are waist high waves today. The wind will abate somewhat as the day wears on moving from NNW to N. Low tide is around noon. Having missed the good stuff last week because of work I'm going today.  Even if it blows onshore. For the coming week Wednesday and Thursday once again show promise.

Now for some whining.  I moved to Cape Cod from Los Angeles twelve years ago because 1) I made a promise to my wife to get her back to the east coast some place north of New Jersey, 2) I wanted to be near the ocean and nature and 3) because I like winter but not enough to want snow on the ground in April.  My whining goes to point 3.  Here it is almost April and it's cold enough for snow on the ground.  'nuff said.

And now for some cheering from a UCLA alumnus.  Made the final 4!  

Here's the NOAA forecast for the Cape Cod area.

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Last Updated ( Sunday, 06 April 2008 )
 
Secret is out on Cambria CA PDF Print E-mail
Travel News
Written by Mike Marks   
Friday, 04 April 2008
Cambria CA
Cambra CA, courtesy of SLO Visitor's Bureau
There are special quiet places on the California Coast that I'd just as soon not write about. But when the NY Times puts out the word then it's no longer a secret. So here goes. While the beach areas from San Diego to Malibu have fully entered the 21st century with crowds and congestion, California's Central Coast offers many spots that retain a feel of timelessness. Cambria, on Highway 1 on the route to Hearst Castle and Big Sur, remains one of those places. This part of California used to be ranch land. It still offers huge vistas of wide open spaces. Great surf spots abound. But the vibe might not be for everyone. Topedo shaped residents with pointy orthodonture are known to enjoy seal buffets here. When I last drove through Cambria, about 14 years ago, I had a meal that changed my life. It was at an Italian restaurant off main street. I don't recall the name. The dish was spaghetti marinara. There was so much garlic in the sauce that it looked like meat sauce - at least one full head of garlic in my one serving. Amazing. I've been a garlic monster ever since (sauteed garlic to be precise).  If you have the budget and want to splurge for a night or two at a romantic resort located on a high bluff overlooking the Pacific, I highly recommend the Post Ranch Inn up in Big Sur. The two nights we spent there in a "tree house" cost over 100,000 pennies. It was worth every one them. Here's the NYTimes story on Cambria.  Lastly, if you're in the area, make a pit stop or spend the night at the landmark Madonna Inn off Highway 101. It's a fun place for both kids and grown-ups.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 04 April 2008 )
 
Octopus study finds sex, lies and murder PDF Print E-mail
Sea Creatures
Written by Mike Marks   
Thursday, 03 April 2008
ImageA recent study by UC Berkeley marine biologists Roy Caldwell and Christine Huffard found that octopuses*  have complex sex lives. Males scope out the largest female because she has the most eggs. Once they've chosen the love of their life they guard her fiercely from other males by fighting and sometimes strangling competitors to death. Weaker competitors sometimes try to sneak through the defenses by disguising themselves as females. And get this... if a  competitor makes it through the arms of defense and deposits his sperm in a female then the guarding male may reach in and pull the sperm out of the female. The female lays tens of thousands of eggs and stays in a den to protect them and keep them clean until they hatch. But the kids don't get a chance to know mom and dad.  Mother and father die a few months after mating. The life span of an octopus is about a year.  It's unclear to researchers whether octopus behavior is instinctual or learned. Studying octopuses is hard.  "They're obsessively secretive, solitary and pretty spooky," Caldwell said. "If you watch them, they watch you back. It's hard to study them. This is the first study to show a level of sophistication not previously known in the sexual behavior of an octopus."

*Side note:  I always thought that the stuffy fussy pinky curled proper plural for octopus was "octopi".  It turns out that this is not the case because octopus comes from Greek rather than Latin.  Here's what the authoritative Oxford English Dictionary says on the subject: "Although it is often supposed that octopi is the 'correct' plural of octopus, and it has been in use for longer than the usual Anglicized plural octopuses, it in fact originates as an error. Octopus is not a simple Latin word of the second declension, but a Latinized form of the Greek word oktopous, and its 'correct' plural would logically be octopodes."
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 April 2008 )
 
Antarctic ice shelf collapsing PDF Print E-mail
Global Warming
Written by Mike Marks   
Saturday, 29 March 2008
Earlier this week a 160 square mile section of Antarctica's Wilkins Ice Shelf collapsed into the sea.  "Hard to believe that 500 billion tonnes of ice sheet has disintegrated in less than a month," said British Antarctic Survey glaciologist David Vaughan.  The collapse has been attributed to global warming.  Ice shelves ringing Antarctica hold back land-based glaciers and keep them from from flowing into the sea.  Because they float on the water, like ice cubes in a glass, disintegrating ice shelves do not raise sea levels.  However, if land based glaciers flow into the sea more quickly there could be consequent rises.  Even as this event demonstrates that the earth is warming some contrary events are taking place at Antarctica itself.  This year there's higher than normal snowfall in parts of Antartica and greater than normal amounts of sea ice are forming.

Christian Science Monitor
Images of shelf collapse at National Geographic
CNN
NPR
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 29 March 2008 )
 
Cape Cod Surf Outlook Week of March 23 PDF Print E-mail
Surfing News
Written by Mike Marks   
Tuesday, 25 March 2008

nantucket buoy

Outlook as of Friday 3/28 11:30pm - Nothing out there for this weekend. Next Wednesday looks promising.

Wednesday 3/26 2:15pm - Looks nice out there, head high maybe some a little over. Tomorrow morning still looks like glass with waist to chest.

9am - Low tide right now. Looks like it'll be head high sets when the tide fills in but wind is suboptimal. Tomorrow morning should be glassy waist to chest.

Monday 3/24 8am - Nothing out there today and tomorrow.  Wednesday is looking like head high with offshore wind and Thursday could be waist with lighter offshore.  Might be a nice twofer. 

Here's the NOAA forecast for the Cape Cod area.

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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 April 2008 )
 
Carbon tax can reduce C02 output PDF Print E-mail
Global Warming
Written by Mike Marks   
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Image
Wikimedia image
What is the best way to combat global warming?  Reducing C02 output is the goal because C02 is emitted whenever any of our most popular fuels are burned: coal, diesel (including biodiesel), gas, oil , wood, etc.  Public policy offers two options. Output reductions can be mandated by governments in the manner of fuel economy standards.  Alternatively, a tax can be imposed on carbon fuels to raise the cost of those fuels and create an incentive to use alternatives such as wind or hydrogen. Focusing on industrial output is preferable to focusing on consumers for obvious reasons. Carbon taxes on industry have been used in Europe with mixed success. For a carbon tax to work the proceeds of the tax need  to be allocated directly toward conservation and alternative energy development.  Doing this requires real restraint on the part of government. It's hard, nearly impossible, for politicians to keep their hands out of a new tax revenue cookie jar.  Here's a good editorial on the subject by Monica Prasad in the NYT.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 March 2008 )
 
What does it mean to be a white shark? PDF Print E-mail
Sea Creatures
Written by Mike Marks   
Monday, 24 March 2008

Image
NOAA image
"What does it mean to be a white shark?" Research biologist Mark A. Marks (no relation to Mike Marks of MoreBeach) has been obsessing on this question for years. He even goes so far as to get into the water with them without a cage. Unlike Austrian attorney Marcus Groh, he's careful about it. For example, he won't get in the water when they're feeding and he considers whether or not they might be hungry."It looks risky - but it's a calculated risk," says Marks. He continues, "If conditions are right, then I spend time, and I've always gained something. These are wild animals, so you are never 100 percent sure what influences the animal. It's all about context." Marks has little advice to offer surfers other than don't go surfing if the vibe isn't right. He does offer one tidbit of small comfort. Most of the bites surfers receive from white sharks are puncture wounds that indicate the shark was just tasting. You see, if the shark really wanted a meal the bite would indicate sawing action. Now I feel much better. Read more about Marks and swimming with white sharks at Newport News-Times

 

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Last Updated ( Monday, 31 March 2008 )
 
Winter Surfing Photo Contest finalists PDF Print E-mail
Surfing News
Written by Mike Marks   
Saturday, 22 March 2008
Here are the four finalists from our 2008 Winter Surfing Photo Contest.  All are beautiful and capture at least one aspect of winter surfing. On Monday we'll announce the Grand Prize winner.  

entry 3         entry 2   
entry 5                     entry 7          
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Cape Cod Surf Outlook Week of March 16 PDF Print E-mail
Surfing News
Written by Mike Marks   
Friday, 21 March 2008

nantucket buoy

Outlook as of Saturday 3/22 10am - It's knee high right now.  High tide is at 1pm.  Tuesday morning looks promising for maybe waist high with glass.  

Wednesday 3/19 10:30pm - Tonight the Nantucket buoy shows 8' waves are coming in from ESE. These waves will be hitting the Cape tomorrow morning. The wind will be offshore at around 20mph. Low tide is at 5:30.

Tuesday 3/18 7:30am - At the moment the water is lumpy.  Things will clean up as the day progresses.  The wind is north all day at around 10 mph.  Thursday looks promising... but there'll be a 25mph+ offshore wind.

Monday 3/17 2:37pm - Tomorrow there should be head high waves coming in from the east with a 10mph wind out of the north. Odds are good they'll mostly be closing out but I'm not too picky right now.  Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Here's the NOAA forecast for the Cape Cod area.

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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 26 March 2008 )
 
Giant starfish found in Antarctica PDF Print E-mail
Sea Creatures
Written by Mike Marks   
Friday, 21 March 2008
A recently completed 2000 mile survey of New Zealand's Antarctic waters discovered hundreds of new species of sea life including jellyfish with 12-foot tentacles and 2-foot-wide starfish.
CNN.com
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