Update, Thursday October 17
We are 24 hours away from the start of Red Bull Heavy Water 2019, and anticipation is building. Skies are clear in San Francisco, after the first “rain” of the year sprinkled the coast last night. The surf has been building since yesterday afternoon, and it is already bumping up on outer reefs that haven’t stirred in many months. By this evening we will be seeing deepwater swell energy really start to arrive, with wave faces in the 15-30 foot range.
Our local weather also looks to be relatively cooperative, with clear visibility and a light NW wind predicted for the start of the race. The athletes will face an increasingly challenging course as they pass under the Golden Gate and attack the raw energy of the North Pacific.
Once they clear the “Cliff House Corner”, the racers will be confronted with the most intense part of the course. The reenergized storm once know as Super Typhoon Hagibis, having travelled thousands of miles over the past few weeks, will very likely decide who wins and who loses.
While the best forecasts, data, and modeling give us plenty of incite, we won’t know exactly how the the surf zone will be impacted by this system until morning. Wave heights well within the event criteria are hitting the outer buoys hard. They will be here soon, and ensure that the final leg of the race will be the most radical.
The dynamic impact zone of Ocean Beach will present the ultimate test of skill and stamina, and the best racers in the world are ready to take in the gauntlet.
After a two year wait, Red Bull Heavy Water is poised for another epic event.
See you at the beach!
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