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OB Sensor & Forecast

Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 11:07 am
by Ron
Hi everyone,

Any idea why there is no wind sensor and forecast for OB on ikitesurf? I'd like to enquire weatherflow about this but i wanted to get a feel for the number of kiters interested in such a thing.

Thanks!

Re: OB Sensor & Forecast

Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 11:22 am
by le noun
free wind sensor on http://www.ob-kc.com.
Also, if you have an ikitesurf account, you can use windalert and check the WRAMS model for OB. (http://windalert.com/spot/54301)
Bottom line is: I think OB is pretty tricky to forecast, enhance why ikitesurf doesn't forecast for it and why I use ob-kc website. It's one of those spots that I go to at the last minute, if it's already blowing.

Re: OB Sensor & Forecast

Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 2:28 pm
by ddubwinokur
hey le noun - good call on going there if it's already blowing. In your experience, when it turns on, does it stay on for long enough to drive over/gear up/ride? I.e. is it consistent?

dw

Re: OB Sensor & Forecast

Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 6:16 pm
by Aloha
If it's really on it will probably blow out through sunset and keep ramping

There are also some marginal days but they are extremely difficult to make work unless you know the spot

Be safe it is a long beach like Alameda but that's about where the similarities end

Re: OB Sensor & Forecast

Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 7:09 pm
by le noun
What aloha just said.
Also, I leave 15 minutes away from OB. That helps on the whole "go when it works" thing. :mrgreen:

Re: OB Sensor & Forecast

Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 9:02 pm
by buckidge
Personally, I think OB is hard to make work with anything less than 20mph.

Look at the forecast for ob-kc page. 10-20 forecast often means it's worth watching the sensor that day.

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Re: OB Sensor & Forecast

Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 8:47 am
by WindMuch
Conspicuously absent from this conversation is the surf at Ocean Beach. The waves there can be surprisingly powerful, particularly as you head further south towards the middle of the beach.

Be careful out there... it's usually bigger than it looks.

Kirk out

Re: OB Sensor & Forecast

Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 11:56 am
by Ron
Just a shame there is no forecast for OB. I got when i see it's windy in real time but sometimes it's too late and you're already on the way to Waddell or Dillon because you knew these spots would get wind. I live on the east bay so OB can be a rough commute when you're not sure that the conditions will be good.

I see some of the comments refer to the big waves in OB, hell yeah! The other spots (except HMB maybe) are a lot more mellow than OB. OB has plenty of waves everywhere, every size and going all directions so when I go, I am in survival mode. When it gets too big, just head to the north end of the beach and it's usually slightly smaller.

Have fun, it will be ON today!

Re: OB Sensor & Forecast

Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 11:59 am
by friggin old guy
Fort funston hides right next to Candlestick on the ikite observation map....put your cursor just before the first digit on the Candestick reading and it'll pop up.

Sensor's back up.....Funston's one place where the gusts are a more reliable indication of what's going on than the average.

The wind readings on surfline cams are flatass wrong but good way to get a visual on conditions.....but can be deceptive due to perspective bias.

One thing about OB is that it can change quickly from nice and friendly to kick your ass whomp, and the currents through the changing sand bars dictate a lot of what's going down. Good place to be on your toes...... rips are notoriously gnarly and can affect wind bigtime.

Re: Re: OB Sensor & Forecast

Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 12:13 pm
by buckidge
WindMuch wrote:Conspicuously absent from this conversation is the surf at Ocean Beach. The waves there can be surprisingly powerful, particularly as you head further south towards the middle of the beach.

Be careful out there... it's usually bigger than it looks.

Kirk out
And 2x as big as Surfline.com reports

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