Where have all the waves gone

It is 1977 at 8 am. I am at my high school in Broward county Florida. A cold front passed through south Florida the night before. It is a chilly 49 degrees out. Me and my buddy Osi decide to go for it. We figure Red Reef park in Boca Raton would be a good call. It sure was. It was head high to two foot overhead with offshore winds about 10 - 15 knots from the NW. Nice long open lines peeling down the beach. The rip was not too bad, at least not for us at that age. The crowd was minimal. We had a blast. Wave after wave until we were totally wore out. This scenario took place time after time, front after front Very rarely did we get burnt and not get to surf. The wind stayed offshore for a couple of days. Cold front swells would break from Palm beach all the way to South beach Miami with really nice breaks along the way. I remember surfing some great swells behind the old Diplomat Hotel. Parking was not a problem then either.We would get a nice south swell for a day or so before a front passed through. Sometimes the south swell was as far down as Hollywood Fl. Even the wind chop was better in those days. So what happened? Was it that we were younger and the waves just seemed better. I find that hard to believe. I do not see, with any type of regularity, descent ridable waves in the spots I mentioned and a few others. We all have our theories. Twenty year cycle, dredging to make longer beaches, too much water in the ocean due to global warming. What is your theory? I would love to know. If any one has an answer to this phenomenon please let me know.