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Santa Monica Airport Overview
Very choppy ocean, waves, on-shore mostly. Very rarely do you see any windsurfers, this has become almost exclusively a kiter spot. If you want to launch in Santa Monica or Venice PLEASE go to life-guard tower # 28. Just south of Ocean Park blvd. & the beach. S/W corner of the parking lot. Talk to locals. Launch south of 28 and before chair 29. Please stay away from the Navy chair (1 chair south of 29), this is a swimming zone all year round and the lifeguards are very sensitive about this swimzone.
This site should be avoided entirely between Memorial Day thru Labor day. There are simply too many swimmers and beach goers to make this safe in the summer. Summer lifeguard staff is unfamiliar with kiters and get very upset. You won't miss much as the best wind in the summer rarely beats 10-13 knots. A big heat bubble over the beach curses this spot and kills the summer winds. In the summer its best to head north to Malibu or south to Long Beach/Orange County. Out of tourist season SM can be a lot of fun if you get a windy day. The lifeguards will let you play on the inside, which you can hop and jump like a skatepark, or catch some small waves. This can be a difficult spot at best, the wind is usually straight on-shore, the waves close out on the beach, and there are strong currents. I have seen many beginners come here and fail miserably. Best for intermediate to advanced riders. Sometimes you may want to go up one kite size to fight the wind direction, waves and currents.
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| Season: |
Best season is spring time after clearing storms |
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| Water: |
Water can be dirty after storms, with warning signs posted |
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| Ability Level: |
Santa Monica / Venice is very difficult with the straight-on shore wind and strong currents |
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| Wetsuit: |
3/2 suit is best |
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| Parking: |
Parking is $7.00 in the paid lot just south of Ocean Park Blvd. |
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| Launch: |
Launch south of chair 28, and get out to ocean before chair 29 |
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Sensor Notes
Data from this station is courtesy of the National Weather Service (NWS). The sensor is at the Santa Monica Airport (1 mile inland)and is not always an accurate reading of what is going on at the beach. Definitely look at the LAX sensor, which is probably closer to the actual conditions in SM/Venice than the SM Airport sensor.
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