Central California, USA

Where to surf in Central California, USA

Central California picks up the same swells and winds that buffet Northern Cal year-round, but here the coast angles a bit more to the SE, offering respite from the wind. Swell conditions can vary dramatically in a hurry – from too big to ride to small and piddly – while the weather will regularly switch from hot and sunny to cold and rainy with plenty of coastal fog sandwiched between.

San Francisco & San Mateo Counties

The City and County of San Francisco is a certified surfing metropolis, where you’re only a few miles from a world-class beachbreak almost anywhere in the city. It's coupled with raw and rocky San Mateo County, home to huge-wave Mavericks. San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz counties lie within the “Red Triangle” – a notoriously sharky zone, despite the fact that only 26 attacks and 3 fatalities occurred in waters off the three counties between 1926 and 2000.

Santa Cruz County

Surf-wise, Santa Cruz is just about the most diverse county in California and one of the most wave-rich areas on the entire West Coast. It’s got the consistent, quirky reefs and beachbreaks of the north, user-friendly, ultra-clean and crowded points and reefs in ‘Town’ and the powerful, uncrowded, often merciless beachbreaks of south county. There’s always a wave somewhere, which translates into severely congested line-ups.

In north county, Waddell, Scott Creek, Davenport, and Four Mile are all good options, offering anything from small, summer swell peaks to thick, sizeable reefbreaks and winter points. Just on the edge of town, crowds and quality increase at a handful of serious, hollow righthanders including Natural Bridges, Stockton Ave, Swift St and Mitchells Cove.

Monterey County

South of town Manresa State Beach begins the beachbreak barrel-fest that crosses into Monterey County and one of the state’s finest set-ups at Moss Landing, where a submarine canyon brings size and power to the expansive line-up.

Winter storms are offshore at Lovers Point in Pacific Grove, while Asilomar and Spanish Bay are rarely flat, on the exclusive 17 Mile Drive toll road through the land of golf. Exclusive Carmel has a reliable, zippy beachbreak and sketchy surrounding reefs.

The world-famous, scenic route of Big Sur hugs the cliffs southwards. There are fickle, localised, semi-secret spots about, but the main access points have some good rides at Andrew Molera State Park, Sand Dollar Beach and Willow Creek.

San Luis Obispo County

Kicked-back San Luis Obispo County is devoid of pointbreaks, though connoisseurs of fickle beachbreaks and quirky reefs will find something to ride. Very consistent in terms of swell and onshore wind, SLO has few sheltered spots and a lot of hit-and-miss reefs and beachbreaks, like the northern sand-slammers of San Carpoforo and Lighthouse.

San Simeon’s maddeningly volatile surf breaks, make Pico Creek the popular spot for fun sand and reef rights along with Santa Rosa Creek/Moonstone. Random, medium-quality reefs and spotty beachbreaks line the Highway 1 coast down through Cambria.

Morro Bay occasionally converts an ordinary California beachbreak into a magical mile or two of feathering A-frames and vomiting tubes. Hazard Canyon is a 24-karat spot and one of the most well-known breaks in California – a serious righthand reef with a legendary local posse.

Neither Avila, Shell Beach, Pismo, or Oceano offer much in the way of perfection, but the Pismo Beach Pier is the hub of south-county surfing.