Surf's up in San Diego as swells from the southwest bring waves as high as eight feet to local beaches this week.
A high surf advisory is in effect until 8 a.m. Thursday due to potentially dangerous surf of four to six feet, with some sets reaching eight feet, particularly on southwestern facing beaches, the National Weather Service said. The advisory comes on the heels of a massive storm in the Southwestern Pacific.
Surf in San Diego will be strongest on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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"Surf is going to be elevated. The rip current risk is also going to be very high so if you're at the beaches make sure you always swim near a lifeguard," NBC 7 Meteorologist Sheena Parveen said.
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“Waves are getting bigger and I’m here to hit it,” smiled Ryan Nideffer as he prepared to enter the breakers near the Ocean Beach Pier.
He heard the reports about the swell and the record waves seen in Tahiti and Hawai’i.
“Crazy right?” Nideffer gushed. “But that’s the way it works. The further away it is, the longer it has to really clean up and get to long periods of swell, which is what we love as surfers.”
The waves near the OB Pier were littered with surfers waiting their chance at waves that often topped eight feet.
“I’m skipping mom work,” declared one woman who showed up with two other moms, surfboards in tow.
They said waves this size are rare.
“In the summer it’s very rare,” they agreed.
“Summer is usually pretty micro, but we got lucky with some swell today,” added Emily Karrer who admitted skipping work to hit the waves.
“I mean, the waves are good. You gotta go!” Karrer exclaimed.
The NWS warns inexperienced swimmers should refrain from going into the water.
But, warming temperatures inland will make you want to head to the cooler coast. The region will continue to see temperatures warm up through Friday, the NWS said.
Cooling is expected over the weekend and there may even be a return of some of that monsoonal moisture that brought some thunderstorms and showers to the mountains and deserts of San Diego earlier this week.
