I had to think hard about this one, there are 3 main breaks within 30 mins of home.1 real close but crap and I surf it 5 days a week, 1 30 mins away that is a swell magnet, but as someone pointed out recently is as heavy on its day as anything they found in Indo. I surf that when its small and stall manage to break fingers, get held down etc. The third one is mellow with loads of options
On the these beaches I just realised That the one stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of the sessions I have had.
Its two beached separtated by a 60M headland, with a rivermouth at the end of each beach. Its facing SE and the predominant wind here is W or NW, which is offshore there.Sewll is W or SW. The right hand rivermouth is an excellent bar on its day, a bit sectiony but very long and I’ve had the noserides of my life there. In the middle of that beach in the right conditions a head high perfect right can appear, I had an amazing session there on a fish a couple of years ago where everything I was working on just came right and I ripped it up - I still remember that session. The only person out of course.
The otherside of the headland is another excellent wave when the buoys hit 4M at high tide an excellent head high + right appears with takeoffs close to the headland. A beautiful shaped wave with an amazing rip. Its a bitch to stay in position, but when you ride to the inside, walk over to the slipway, sit on your board and the rip takes you right back to the take off zone, you don’t even have to paddle !
Everybody elses favouite wave is a long left hander at the end of the beach called the bar, its long and perfect from mid tide- again with killer rips.
Like everything else here it’s fickle as hell, and usually spoiled by the wind, but when its on…
I’ll be working in that town permanently from next month, so I’ll be there everyday when its on.
down here in south florida, most of our surfing days are windchop. my local spot has a shallow sandbar, and at low tide, waves break in about 1’ of water. waist- to rib-high windchop lines up on the bar, jacks up, and the lip throws out. who ever thought crappy windslop could be an all-out barrel-fest!!!
I put in sessions pretty regularly at various no name breaks between Morro Rock and Cayucos Pier. Some of my friends refuse to even acknowledge “my spots” as surf spots.
In between swells with off shore winds can be really fun. If anybody else is out, they are likely to be friendly. Clean water is another plus.
a right-hand point i live for. it’s usually a bit smaller than other spots when its on. at the top of the point it’s defined by big basaltic boulders. As the wave comes around these boulders it get real square on the low tides – lip breaks with a nice cracking sounds for about 100 yds. once past the boulders tho, it softens up, but continues up to 300 yds. you ride walk up the beach, over the boulders, hop in. go again. when i ride a board i usually finish at the end of the boulders sections. on a mat tho, you can just keep going with speed the full extra 300 yds.
I’m just a lurker who loves looking at what my girlfriend calls “surfboard porn,” but I do have a favorite local break. I’m from right outside Atlantic City, New Jersey and most of the year there are a very few spots that are better than the rest. But, when the full-on courderoy starts to pour in from a hurricane, the spot that’s “usually” the best is just the most crowded. On those 2 or 3 days a year, my favorite spot is the street where I learned to surf. It’s just me and 10 or 15 of the guys you either see every day or twice a decade. In either case, either way, they all act like you haven’t missed a beat. On these days, big lines streatch all the way across the beach and getting in early is the key. Every wave looks like a closeout, but it’s a race to stay ahead of a not-so-steep pealing lip untill it hits the inside. Inside, you either pull in for glory or kick out and paddle back.
It only happens a few times a year, but it’s always magic.
I am super spoiled (blessed)!!! It takes less than three minutes to drive to my break if I don’t stop for coffee. I usually wake about 5:am and as I lie in bed, most mornings I can hear the waves breaking about 3 blocks away. Based on the sound, I decide what board to take - kayak or stand-up if no sound, or a different board based on how loud (size of wave). Meet the guys, talk story, tell lies, then paddle out before the sun comes up over the mountain. Back at the shop by 9:am(unless the waves are “on”. Every day, no matter the waves, is an epic day!! Life is good.
I got there this morning before sunup. I could hear waves breaking, could feel there wasn’t any wind. The buoys were reading 10’ @ 14 seconds from a good angle…
I got into my suit nice & slow, waiting for a little light. Only a couple other folks in the lot. I walked down the beach as the sky changed color. I hit the water, dressed for a good, cold day…
To find my little reef had changed 10’, 14 second swell into knee-high windsplop.