hi, i am coming into California May 10-23. this is my second time in california, i came in october and i was in Huntington for a week and Cardiff by the sea for another week. what a wonderful place! Does anyone have any advise as to what areas pick up swell in May? in may I don't know what it is the best area, and the best spots. if the swell trends more North or Sud and what is better places for surfing! thanks you very much for your help. All the best, Andrea
by may, most of the energy in the ocean here is out of the south. hopefully you score one of the big, very long-period swells out of the south pacific because that means water temps in the high 60s and chest-head+ waves for 3-4 days in southern california so try looking for a south-facing break. where are you flying into, and where are your accomodations? if in LA, look more north county such as sunset, malibu, or point dume. if in OC, definitely huntington, newport, salt creek, dana point, doheny. for SD, oceanside, swami's, black's, la jolla reefs. of course i'm holding back on particular breaks but look at a map and figure out for yourself which spots would pull in south swell the best have fun
I would definitely hit up Trestles/San Onofre area if your down in Orange County area and basically what steam said.
lowers is awesome on souths but it's overcrowded, costs money to park, and it's a hike all the way to the lineup
thanks a lot! i have rent a home in encinitas for the first week and a second home in H.B. for the second week!! on tuesday i am coming!!!!!! it is great! but i don't know wetsuit size, 4/3, 3/2 or 2/2mm?? do u know water degree, or which wetsuit do u suggest me? thank u very much! Andrea
oh and if you\'re in encinitas, check the end of D street and north through moonlight beach. those are the best breaks in town imho. the whole san elijo area south of town is great too in the right conditions. crowds are well-absorbed and there are plenty of waves \r\n\r\nhuntington beach pier is the center of surf city, usa. let the locals have first digs closest to the pier - you\'ll know who they are as soon as they stand up. decent peaks further away from the pier too where it\'s more spread out. parking everywhere just follow the signs. if you feel like driving a bit more get on the pch north, pass sunset beach, and head into seal beach. you might be surprised what you find at the pier or jetty. or get on pch south, take a right on newport blvd, and go all the way down balboa peninsula to where it ends... if it\'s big, you\'ll see lots of people and the definition of a wedge against the jetty.
When your in HB, You need to go to Newport just south of HB. If there is a combo swell in the water like there has been the past few weeks, go between 44st-65st. The infamous 54-56th st. jetties are in there. Google map the streets, there easy to find. Newport picks up combo swells alot better then HB. If your going to surf HB. There are many spots, the pier like steam said, but GoldenWest street good spot and then next to that are the cliffs. You can basically just walk on the bike path and see which sandbar is working the best. I wouldnt go to seal beach because seal only really breaks on a true West swell. Right now we are getting small South swells and NW wind swells. The water got really cold here for about a week but I saw that it warmed up a bit. I havent been out in a few days. I would bring atleast 3/2 and booties. But you might get lucky and get a trunkable day. Depends on the weather and how tolerable you are to the cold. You should atleast go to trestles area, its worth the walk and paying for parking.
fyi the stingrays seem to be gathering from sunset beach north...they like the warmer water, so keep yer feet up...also, if you hit any state beach (bolsa chica north of hb, hb state beach south of beach blvd, crystal cove in laguna, etc), and the waves are not firing or it's too crowded...whatever...,you can use that pass all day at all the state beaches up and down the coast. just cruise pch/hwy1 and see what ya get. have fun.
