I'm going to visit a friend in Laguna beach, California next week. This is my first time surfing out of New Jersey. Am i better off traveling with a board, or just purchasing one there to use for the week? Can I get away with a 3/2 this time of year? Any other tips, suggestions, are greatly appreciated.
If flying southwest then it's worth it to pay the 50 bucks each way to bring your own, if not, just rent. 3/2 and booties will be fine, won't need gloves. Have fun.
depends what airline you are flying with and how much they charge for boards. can you borrow one? thats your best bet. for water temp you are probably looking at high 50's to low 60's. for me id be putting on some boots, but you can definitely get away with a 3/2. no 4/3 needed.
Im flying continental and currently finding out how much it is to travel with a board. I may be able to use a friends fish but it is not in the best of shape. I heard the only boards you can rent in the area are soft tops..... which is why Im now leaning towards bringing one of my boards. Anyways, thanks for the help guys.
Are you going to have access to a car? If so, you might want to drive up to HB and I think you'll have better luck. I flew out to Irvine for work in December and after a lot of searching I was able to find ONE shop in Laguna that rented real boards, but it was not cheap - $50/day. Anyway, the shop was called Costa Azul, right on the PCH. I think Continental will nail you $100 each way for a board, but I'm not sure. You could also look into buying a used stick on craigslist or something and then selling to a shop or leaving it with your buddy.
Will have access to a car for a few of the days so ill definitely make my way up to huntignton which i was planning on doing anyway. And i'm gonna see whats on craigslist now and didn't even think about leaving it with my friend, that seems logical..thanks for the help... wish me luck!
the more the merrier... water is mid fifties right now. for me it's cold; for polar bears, they are in speedos; your call on that one. off shore winds in am, shifting to onshore (and choppy) after 11 or so each morning. also small right now, about waist high give or take a foot. near pier in HB is bigger, smaller as you go north. cliffs north of pier (boxcars) can have some good breaks but you have to hoof it down the cliff. check surfline for an accurate eyes-on daily report of the area. also, if you decide to cruise the coast looking for breaks, buy a day pass at any state beach and it works for the rest of em (except a couple in LA) for the day. that way if the break sucks or changes you can try your luck elsewhere. bienvenido!
postscript by the way, on PCH you are within 30-45 minutes of trails, old man's and other iconic san clemente/san onofre breaks to the south, as well as the wedge in newport (if you sponge) and of course HB and sunset beaches (not to mention bolsa chica) to the north. in addition, take the 405 north to 10 west and take it to the end and you have santa monica, venice, malibu et al. check em out just to see 'em if they aren't firing.
Huge help spongedude, I heard newport gets fun for surfers on smaller days but i'll just have to check out and see when I get there. Definitely will be heading over to venice too. This is my first time out there, I am sooo stoked.
update..... was in Huntington Beach today. zacks (one at Beach blvd at entrance to HB city beach and one at pier at Main st) have real boards for rent. guy told me main has best selection. they also made my wife a cheeseburger that hasn't come back up yet, so maybe kill two birds with one stone. unless you go south (san diego way) surf will be small next week. it was warm today (low seventies) but expect a temp drop into 60's by midweek.
break info you probably know this but check: wannasurf.com for detailed info of area surf breaks. A great resource. Also, check the surf forecast to figure where your going. The Channel Islands shadow a lot of swell so it could be bigger in one area than it would be in another. Find out who's getting what on surfline's reports. You'll have fun everywhere, but if you've got a few minutes and a car, the Oceanside jetties pick up a fair amount of swell and the crowds are spread out. It's jetty surfing just like NJ and works on mid to lower tides., It's also decent with NW (onshore) winds. Enjoy-
ill be sure to check out that surf shop. if its anything close to 50 dollars a day, i may just buy a used board and leave it with my buddy as ill be staying for a little more than a week. Was planning on going south for waves as you suggested. And although this hasn't been a bad winter here, the water is still 42 degrees, so bring on the 60 degree water..yewww
I went to puerto rico last year, flew continental. The flight there I checked it in by size and weight,$150. The flight back they told me to check it as sporting goods,$50. I was happy! So you might want to call them and ask if you can check it as sporting goods and save your self some $.
