i am planning a month long+ camping trip in CA. here’s what i have so far: stay a long week in either Manresa, outside of Santa Cruz, or Big Sur? anyone help to decide between the 2. or stay at both? then stay another long week somewhere around Ventura. anyone help me out there? then the final week+ at San Onofre Park. i am just staying in these spots and traveling around to other local breaks. i am also looking for some good lefts?? can’t wait …
I guess that would probably depend a lot on what kind of board you ride and what kind of riding you do… personally I wouldn’t waste time at San O when T-street or Blacks are so close… but I’m a shortboarder. Lefts in winter? …it could happen. Happened today, but they’re definately a minority in the ‘cold’ months.
i think it depends when you are going too (summer -vs- winter). manresa and big sur can get out of hand when a big NW swell rolls in. they can also get good too, but it just seems like more people go to those places in summer than winter.
i’m a longboarder. i can handle some juice, but i’d prefer an under head high peeler. also thinking about going maybe from mid august-mid october…
If you are staying at the camping grounds at San-o, you can get empty waves there all day long. Wave quality is not very good however, might get some nice peaks if its the right swell though. Head north or south and youll get some good surf.
better try down south more at san elijo (by cardiff reef) if your coming down san’o’ way, because san onofre is closed for winter…i.e. no camping, just day use 6am-10pm and they lock the gate. you could also camp a little north of san onofre at doheny state park…
Trestles is within a nice morning walk …
Teddy, Lefts in the Santa Cruz area - from small to large. Sharks – fairly small but tubular , The rights are like a frieght train and work up to double overhead. 38th – both lefts and rights, crowded but great for long boarding Manresa – beach break lots of rips and sections and current with it’s working but the left work into the rips most of the time. Miles and miles of beach to check for a shoal working. 26th – both lefts and rightstop to bottom no place for a longboard Waddell Creek – up the coast,open ocean swell, big wind surfing spot and lots of peaks. Wind and Wea & Rock View-- works up to tripe overhead when the swell’s working Saber Jets – Just up from the Lane will only work when it’s huge. it’s a rocket of a wave. That’s just a taste of the lefts. There a lots of others. Have fun, Hope you get some good surf. Mahalo, Rich
Teddy - Check out Montana De Oro State Park. Get in touch with me if you decide to stay there - I live right down the road. All kind of surf around but no hidden Rincons or anything. If it gets really big, there are a few options. Rincon and Ventura/Santa Barbara spots about 2 1/2 hours away but be prepared for crowds. Plaskett Creek is a decent option in Big Sur. Santa Cruz has a bunch of great breaks and a bunch of great surfers but that makes it hard to get your share.
i am planning a month long+ camping trip in CA. then stay another long week somewhere around Ventura. anyone help me out there? i am just staying in these spots and traveling around to other local breaks. i am also looking for some good lefts?? can’t wait … ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Teddy, If your coming for Rincon / Ventura you can stay at Carpinteria State Beach (within a couple of miles of the Con). If you arrive around a swell your stoked. Call me when your coming down from the central coast. We’ll point you in the right direction. No worries. Oh, I forgot to mention the camp ground at the Ventura River, just down the road, the name skips my mind. C Street - Pitas - Rincon are all in this zone.
thanks guys,keep 'em comin…i am mostly looking for those breaks with less crowds than the big names…i will check out the the Malibu’s and San O’s just because i want to see them
Just north of San O in San Clemente there is a break called T-street (Trafalgar I believe), theres a reef in the middle of a pretty good stretch of beach break (the winds are especially calm there too) that has some very fun waves. You can ride everything from a 6’1 to a 9+ on the wave… I’ve had some great LB sessions there, but like I said, I’m a shortboarder, so I enjoy a little more complicated wave even on the LB. There are crowds there of course (welcome to SoCal) but it’s no Rincon or Trestles. There’s another reef that’s down south in San Diego, in a place called Del Mar - the break is 15th street. Similar to T-street but a little more mellow - I wouldn’t ride a shortboard there. The vibe at 15th street is one of the coolest around. Home of my best LB session to date…
North County San Diego has lots of good waves that are fun on a longboard (Swami’s, Cardiff, Pipes), as does San Diego itself (Windansea has a sweet left) and plenty of places to camp, but I’m going to put a plug in for exploring waves north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Late summer waves at Ocean Beach San Francisco and Salmon Creek in Bodega Bay can be excellent, crowds are smaller than in Santa Cruz, and the backdrops are stunning. It would be a nice contrast to Malizoo and the southern sprawl, though I heartily agree that you should check out the classics, too! Bank Wright’s ‘Surfing California,’ though dated, is a fun guide. You should have no problem finding it online or ordering it through your local surfshop.
Mcgrath State beach is in between c-street and oxnard shores/silver strand. North of ventura you can get a rent a spot on old pch (hwy 1) for, i believe, a week.
Just this last Saturday I came across a surf spot guide that listed every major and some minor breaks throughout the WORLD! Of course i didn’t buy it and I don’t remember the name of the book! It just came out, it’s real pocket size and has waterproof pages! The Beach House in Bay Head, NJ (732) 714-8566 has it. This thing is as complete as you can get. Erick will probably mail it to you if need be. Good luck and have fun!
this site might come in handy http://www.globalsurfers.com/spotguide.cfm?continentid=4&land=United%20States%20of%20America
anyone visit these spots: Greyhound rock in SC, Point Mugu-Ventura, Doplphin Tanks-SD, and Pismo Coves??? thanks for all ur input guys,
Yeah, I go to Greyhound rock all the time. Say hi when you paddle out, I’m about 14 foot, gray, with big dorsal fin. See ya in the lineup
i just found the name of the new surf guide that I spoke of earlier. It’s called WAVE-FINDER by Larry Blair and Buzzy Kerbox. It’s reviewed in the latest issue of Longboard Magazine.