I'll be in LA the first week of August and am looking to get out one day to surf. I've read up online on the best bets in the area. Based on the spots I've looked up online, I've narrowed down to the following: Malibu (looks like my ideal wave, but way too crowded, even on a weekday?) County Line (looks nice and spread out, but kind of fat/weak/mushy?) HB Pier (looks nice and spread out, but close out waves like NJ?) Trestles (a bit far, but could be worth the drive?) In general I'm just looking to maximize wave count, get some nice long rides, and have fun.
can't tell you where to go....but I can tell you where not to go: 1. Malibu 2. HB 3. Trestles all these spots are the most crowded on earth and you might not even get one wave. Maybe just drive from santa monica to redondo beach and, when(if), you see a rideable wave breaking that doesn't have 20 people paddling for it, run out there and get a few.
I found empty lineups @ HB (not RIGHT at the pier but nearby) when I was there in May. Wedge also is amazing but maybe safer to watch than participate.
I'd take waterbaby's suggestion but in case you want to surf any of the bucket list waves I figured I'll offer my very limited experience. I surfed trestles a few years back in November. Nothing too special and there were a bunch of people out but I still caught a handful of waves. Just know that you're going to be catching the scraps but they're still 10x better than the average wave on the east coast. I sat a little inside on the southern section of lowers and caught a couple of swing sets and some smaller waves.
Don't surf. LA sucks. CA sucks. Surfing sucks. Jk there's so many spots that pick up southwest swells in la county. Just drive around and hit it early. If you can try to avoid the weekends
If there is a south swell, go north (Ventura) I'll be roaming around Newport-Santa barbra July 30-Aug 2, if there is swell. PM me if we're there the same time..
I used to surf around HB on a regular basis. I wouldn't recommend the pier, but anywhere on the south or north side is almost as good and not nearly as crowded. As long as its not high tide, the waves usually break outside and then reform on the inside. Because of this, it doesn't tend close out as much as NJ (also due to the longer period swells). If there is a good swell you could also check out Ray Bay in Seal Beach. It's a rivermouth, but has a point break feel to it. I've had plenty of rides across the entire length of the river there. If you decide to go to trestles, you don't have to go to lowers. Uppers is good too, better than anywhere in Jersey, and won't have the crowd that lowers has. If you go to Malibu, yes it will be very crowded, but if you've never surfed there before, one wave might be better than an entire session in NJ (unless 3 or more people drop in on you). But if you see that malibu is too crowded, you can just continue up to county line. It will be less crowded and a little mushier, but you can always get some fish tacos at Neptune's Net.
true...I wasn't thinking about the fact it's still summer. Definitely keep an eye on the swell charts and pick the right day to surf. Summer can get relatively flat down in the south bay...and the flatter it gets, the more crowds concentrate at the top spots.
I went recently HB, stayed at the the Hyatt, and surfed right in front of the Hyatt (1/4 mile south of pier). Had a great time, waves were shoulder high, lots fun, made two friends while surfing. I would do HB. Lots of room, waves were 100% that anything you get on East Coast.....no crowds early. just opinion...
Thanks for the responses guys, I also have to rent a board so I'll probably rent one at HB and go find an uncrowded peak.
Anywhere from the Newport River Jetties north to HB Pier should be pretty decent and uncrowded. A couple miles north of the Pier are Bolsa Chica and Huntington Cliffs, good surf. As stated before, Ventura...probably the first area I'd be checking. Don't go south to Trestles unless you're a local pro or a masochist. Go instead to Laguna Niguel or any of the "tree" streets like Oak or Thalia. You'll figure out why. Stay away from those "name" spots or you'll sour fast on surfing SoCal
My friends who live in Redondo Beach really like Seal Beach. They go there as much as they can, although it's about a one hour or so drive from where they live, considering heavy traffic. I've surfed there a couple times and enjoyed it.
It's been 25+years but Topanga was fun and I got plenty of waves. There are a couple sketchy rocky points just south of there right along the cliff that can get really good and not too crowded. Zuma had some good dumpy closeout tubes. Depends on your skill level. If you don't mind the sketch you can find some fairly empty waves.
