Steamer Lane

Bruce Anderson Dec 21, 2010 Rating: 1

Thank you, spongerdudette.

Bruce Anderson Dec 21, 2010 Rating: 0

That one ranged in the 15+ foot height area, Scott, and it broke not very far out from the face of the cliff. Ideally, on the very best days, when there are huge winter storms out in the North Pacific, set after set of swells at 20-25 feet will roll through Steamer Lane (and they're practically stacked on top of each other) for hours on end; this usually only happens about two or three times a year, though. You can see these things coming from miles away, and before they crest they look like undulating liquid mountains of water moving over the surface of the ocean. Sometimes the surfers will have to paddle out for nearly a mile from the cliff face, to catch them before they break. The position of a given storm determines the angle at which the swells approach the Lane -- which is at the very northern tip of Monterey Bay, so until they arrive it's difficult to determine just how the swells will materialize at Steamer Lane. Then you have the weather to contend; it doesn't do much good to have 15+ foot swells out there, if it's raining like hell. That's the way that most of last year went, for example.