WAVE FORECASTS

Checking and interpreting wave forecasts prove critical to safety and comfort.

- Jim Hendricks

First, let me plead, "Mea culpa." I'll admit to fixating on marine wind forecasts before venturing out to sea, sometimes to the exclusion of wave projections.

That shortcut has more than once come back to bite me in the stern quarters.

While wind has a major effect on sea conditions, boaters need to pay attention to other elements outlined in the marine forecast and how they translate to real-life conditions at sea.

WAVE CHECK Planning an ocean trip without reviewing the wave forecast can lead to startling and uncomfortable surprises, as it did for me one windless morning in spring as we headed out the inlet of Mission Bay in San Diego.

Had I checked the wave forecast, I would have known that a healthy lump generated by a spring gale far out in the Pacific was rolling in from the west.