Santa Cruz Vacation

Love the shots man! Love all the wildflower fields on those cliffs. I have a ton of pictures from there and further south through big sur. I really love that part of the coast. So many empty line ups because of “no-name/lesser” breaks.

 

Thanks man, I have a bunch of pics from my time there. One of my favorite trips, wish I could have stayed longer than a couple days.

 

If this was a new guy I'd have no comment. But asking a veteran guy here this. Party foul dude. Shame on you

 

One of the locals getting one and showing off. He would catch one and paddle back out and catch another. At one point he surfaced right next to me while I was sitting in the lineup. Caught me off guard at first but he was friendly.

 

Cool pics DP. I would like to go back to that area. It has been about 15 years.

 

Thanks JayD, I didn’t want to leave and have wanted to return since I left. It’s an awesome place.

 

I surfed Santa Cruz several times when I went out for my job. I am not an expert, but every bit of info helps I guess. Just some notes:
- I mainly surfed the Hook (end of 41st street), but it's a point break, which if you aren't used to, tends to get crowded at a specific spot.
- Point breaks if you've never surfed them, just be courteous, don't drop in on anyone and be patient, but you still have to go for waves or you won't get any. You'll get the feel after a bit, just kind of jockey for position and when you are in position go for it, don't worry about the several other people also paddling for it if you are closest to the peak it's yours
- Swell period is larger on the west coast, be prepared to wait for sets, it'll look small for like 10 minutes then a 3-5 wave waist/chest set will roll through
- I surfed Pleasant point, there is an "inside" and an "outside", inside is easier to paddle to and usually less crowded
- don't worry about the tides, I think some areas work better with certain tides, but I never paid attention and there are always waves
- Capitola (further south) is a laid back beach type break, mostly for beginners but I never surfed it
- New Brighton State Park (even further south) was less crowded on a really good day (10-12 people as opposed to 100) and it costs $5 to park which helps also keep down on the crowd, still a point break and still good waves
- Dangers, don't mean to scare you but better safe than sorry: lots of kelp around, takes some getting used to, but if you wipe out, could freak you out as you swim through it. Ground swell, again, sets are like minutes apart sometimes, but even worse is the clean up set that will be several feet higher than the normal sets you are seeing, be prepared to scramble if needed. Drift, be aware of it, and keep in mind in Santa Cruz, some areas are surrounded by cliffs so you don't want to be in a position where you are too tired to paddle and have to rock climb your way out of the ocean (speaking from experience). Sharks, never saw one but sharks eat seals and I've seen my fair share of those, I never was worried honestly.
- Bonus kelp comment: I noticed that if you find a healthy enough batch to grab on to you'll stay in position which is helpful if it's a drifty day.

Good luck, I'm jealous, hopefully I get back there at the end of the year.

 

Funny enough,my best friend who lives in NorCal just called me and said he surfed the hook just tonight.

 

Let's just "blow up" surf sites. This whole thread is just that.

 

Giving up the State Parks and crowded points aren't burning spots. There's some spots that people have small clues about, without naming names of drawing maps.

Look around, there some good spots on both the East side and Westside that nobody burned. Got usually shallow slabby reefs.

Couple good waves not too far out of town north or south

 

Stupid question. What is a VRBO? Be kind - i am north of 45 so forgive my oldness.

 

Vacation rental by owner...it has become a popular alternative to using a management company

 

lol
spots that have 100 cams all over them, get a clue, this small group of tards isnt going to blow it up, surfline is. tool

 

Yup...Surfine has, as a mission, to ruin more quiet spots. They will sell you out for a mere dime. They have hired hands stone you as you surf in spots they want to keep for their own crew. Sean Collins did that several years in Mexico-paid thugs to stone families in a mexican beach he wanted to surf at. They got a lot of people challenging them on it on their message board, so they canceled their forum. A lot of people canceled their subscription.