How much attention do you pay to the LJ webcam?

[ronbo613]

With a bit of experience, you can guess the immediate conditions by checking the webcam. The launch area has the smallest surf around, if the waves there are one foot, the pier is about three feet and anyplace else is probably about five feet. Big surf days at the Shores are rare. Kayakers can describe the waves there as "huge", most surfers would say 2-3'. You can tell if it's high or low tide, check the wind conditions and tell by the crowd if it's a weekend or not.

A tide book and basic marine forecast are as good as any surf forecasting websites when you learn how the ocean works.

Since I don't live in SD any longer, I check the webcam from time to time because I don't want to look out my window and see if my truck is buried in snow.