La Jolla visibility today: the chop left, the runoff didn't

Monday at the Cove looks like a C. That's the Dive Pro beta model, calling 10 to 14 feet of visibility with medium confidence. Sunday's call was a D, 5 to 9 feet. So it's a step up, not a reset.

Here's what changed. Sunday had a pile of short, choppy wind waves stacked on top of everything, about 3.7 feet of them every 4 seconds. That's the stuff that kicks sand off the bottom and turns the shallows into chocolate milk. Monday, that chop drops to about half a foot. The forecast has wind topping out under 8 mph, with gusts near 12. Pretty calm, if it holds.

The swell is still around, though. Two sets of waves, both about 3.3 feet at 9 seconds, one from the southwest and one from the south-southwest. Nine seconds is the in-between stuff. Not the long, lazy lines that roll over the reef. Not wind slop either. Enough to slosh surge around the sand at the Shores.

Then there's the rain. About a third of an inch fell over the last three days, per the model's inputs. San Diego County issued a countywide general rain advisory Sunday morning, and the Cove and Scripps Pier are on the list. The County's rule is to stay out of the water for 72 hours after rain ends, because runoff carries bacteria and street junk into the ocean. The National Weather Service expected the rain to wrap up late Sunday evening, so count from there. The water can be clearer than Sunday and still not be water you want in your mouth.

The camera won't settle it this morning either. Our last Scripps camera frame came in Sunday at 2:53pm, and it didn't get a grade.

So, if you go: go early, since the model's best window is early to late morning before the wind builds. Favor deeper water over the shallow sand. And know the advisory is the County's call, not ours. Looking ahead, the model drops Tuesday back to a D, 5 to 9 feet, then has Wednesday and Thursday at a C.

It's a beta model. It hasn't been validated yet. Treat it like a buddy's guess in the parking lot, then go look at the water yourself.

Check the full La Jolla forecast before you load the car.