High pressure will continue to dominate the weather pattern across Colorado and the West making it rather hot and dry. Monsoonal weather is at least a week away. Result likely means no emergency release of water from Chatfield like we had and surfed the last month or more. Hopefully the monsoons will change that in the coming weeks… Currently there are no water calls from the farmers/municipalities that normally would result in possible increases in Chatfield flow…. So don’t expect any increase in flow today from Chatty, and when the official word comes from Colorado Department of Water Resources; we will send it out for all to know.
Metro-Denver alternative surf spots are seeing a reduction in flow as well. Beavers Wave was briefly surfed yesterday but there is reports of a dangerous strainer behind the wave in the form of a large stick stuck behind the wave in one of the rocks. Hopefully we can get a pic of the hazard at Beavers Wave. Bingo Hole in Golden (just eyeshot down river from Washington Street Bridge) was apparently surfing well yesterday but the flow is dropping fast so you will need a full volume board such as a Taquito or Wave-O or larger inflatable surfboard to keep surfing Bingo. One spot that has not been surfed yet is Dave’s Wave (a long walk to get to knee-high longboard wave) that is now within flow to surf… (see vid below of Dave’s Wave being surfed)
Other Places to Surf:
Scout Wave in Salida (see: http://endlesswaves.net/waves/salida-park/) was surfed by a strong contingency of Metro-Denver surfers yesterday. Fun was had by all including the locals who welcomed the visiting surfers. Today through the weekend, you will see familiar faces from metro-Denver in Salida surfing the Scout Wave. Basically Scout Wave is a big Wave Sixx, so if you are confident on Sixx you will surf Scout with no problem and is well worth the trip down there!!!…
Here is the poop on surfing the Scout Wave:
Scout’s secondary wave and wave train looks intimidating behind the wave but it basically what people are used to behind Sixx. The eddy services is a bit different though. Surfer’s wave kick-out to going left on the wave (actually looking down river on the right side with the sidewalk) has two eddy out spots. One is about a 100 feet down on the right as an indent in the river (ask someone to point it out to you) and then another one like another 100 feet or so on the right where you will see condo’s. Both are real friendly to get out. Surfer going right on the wave to kick-out (river left looking down stream) will see a tricky eddy that if you catch it, the thing moves fast and can suck you back into the backside of the wave where you if you are agile enough can get out to the jump goofy footer jump in side or will just get sent down river again. Suggestion for that side of the river (dirt parking lot side) is to watch and learn how it is used or not used. Many are being swept down river on that side about 150 feet to a slowdown spot on the left side of the river to climb up the bank of the river to walk up to the dirt parking lot and back down to wade/walk through the fish ladder to the jump in spot for the wave. It’s no big deal but ask for some advice from those surfing that side by driving/walking over the bridge to the dirt parking lot and walking down to the goofy-footer jump in side.
Links to watch;
Chatfield gauge (takes 2-3 hours to impact RRP; click on raw/all values then table view for 15 min updates to flow levels): https://dwr.state.co.us/Tools/StationsLite/PLACHACO?params=DISCHRG
RRP gauge (click on raw/all values then table view for 15 min updates to flow levels) flow below 130cfs or so means it is too low for Sixx: https://dwr.state.co.us/Tools/StationsLite/PLAUNICO?params=DISCHRG
Sixx Pole Cam: https://www.senserasystems.com/public/embed/3M7824646H83
Scout Wave gauge (1,200cfs or lower is surfable): https://dwr.state.co.us/Tools/StationsLite/ARKSALCO?params=DISCHRG
RIVER SURFING TIP: To stop that wet stink in your surf booties, crumple up some newspaper and put 3-4 balls of newspaper in each bootie to help remove the moisture out the booties as they dry.
SURF TRIVIA: How do you measure the size of a wave?
PRIOR SURF TRIVIA ANSWER: “Going left” on a wave means as you are paddling in on a wave facing the shore line (ocean surfing) and are going to angle toward the left as in you left arm’s side. “Going right” is, when paddling in on a wave, you are going to surf going toward your right….. This get’s all screwed up in river surfing, so say “surfer’s right” or “surfers left” meaning when the person is actually on the river wave actively surfing it…. When looking down river watching someone flushed out, purposefully paddling down river, the sides are of the river are called “river left” and “river right“…. So, make sure you clarify what you are talking about when describing the river wave side. Might want to say, “Did you see Ward jumping in on the goofy footer side of the wave, he has some cool checkered Vans like booties?” or, “Yeah watch how fast that eddy is on the left side of the river that the goofy footers are using at Scout“…. Clear as mud?!?
LBK
Bee cool to all surfing… Oh, and be articulate when talking sides of a wave being surfed vs sides of river.
The Denver Surf Report 