Los Angeles Spots

[Atlantasurfer]

In a couple of weeks my wife is taking a business trip to Glendora, CA, which is approximately twenty miles west of L.A. I'm tagging along for the weekend, and along the way I'll have the rental car for a day while she works.

I have never surfed in the Los Angeles area, but the word around the campfire is that the place gets crowded. Where should I try to go for a (relatively) uncrowded surf? I'll probably just pack my flippers and rent a skimboard as an impromptu paipo.

[Nels]

First off...Glendora is east of L.A., near the mountains. Closest beaches are actually due south in Orange County - notably Huntington and Newport. Further south along the coast is Laguna and eventually San Clemente, epicenter of the Surf Industry and featuring one of the highest densities of surfers one can imagine. Going north from Huntington you get to Seal Beach and then Long Beach, which is surfless. The South Bay beaches from Torrance to LAX can have surf. Get to Santa Monica and head north on Highway 1 and eventually you'll get to Malibu (surfboards only) and Zuma...but you'll be maybe an hour and a half or more driving time away from Glendora at the far end.

Venice does have surf on occasion, I'll confess to having hit it long ago...but it isn't a surf destination.

It isn't so much about physical distance in Southern California as it is time spent covering the distance. The day you want to surf matters too. Most all of the beaches mentioned with surf will have blackball flags on them in the summer, at least after 10 a.m., and that may impact your ability to ride any hard craft. Parking can be a huge hassle on weekends especially, so some planning for that is in order.

Take a look at the area on google maps or something...give it some thought...and ask away with any questions. If you're into multi-tasking there's a surfing heritage museum in San Clemente and there used to be a surf museum in Huntington, plus the Wedge in Newport (good luck finding parking), lots of surf heritage all over, plus a ton of other cultural things. Summer is in full swing and it's been warm lately. Great time for a visit.

Nels

[rodndtube]

Recommend trying a Huntington Beach Cliffs surf + Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente. Plenty of else to do in-between that I can fill you in on.

Huntington Beach Cliffs is easily accessible and generally a mellow surf scene for Southern Calif. If you arrive early you can find free parking on the side streets (somewhere north of 10th Street). Also a relatively direct shots on the freeways down to Newport Beach and then a couple of miles drive north. You might want to pack a light wetsuit... "warm" in Calif. isn't the same as "warm" along the summertime East Coast or the tropics!

The SHACC museum is a "can't miss" surf attraction if you are in the area. (Museum hours: 11am-4pm, Monday through Saturday, closed on Sundays.)

[Nels]

Well, the weather has been warm...some hot and humid temps...upper 70's at the beaches...water temp in OC is pretty warm, in the upper 60's I'm told. It was 62 degrees in the water at Zuma this week and that felt good...morning in a wetsuit but afternoon short play session in trunks.

Huntington Cliffs is a good call, and reading that reminded me of nearby Bolsa Chica, another place I'm told can be accessed easily and is open to variety.

Nels

[Uncle Grumpy]

The water is 71° midday here in San Clemente.

If you do make it this far south send me a PM and I'll give you the deluxe tour of the SHACC.

Better rent a car with GPS

[Atlantasurfer]

Good stuff! Thanks for all the helpful info.

As it stands now, my wife's cousin who lives in Garden Grove is going to pick me up and give my a tour of some north Orange County spots. He's a good surfer, and he's an aging punk rocker/drunk mocker like me.

The only down side is that he didn't seem too jazzed about visiting the SHACC. I really want to see it, but it might have to be on my next trip out that way. That's a bit of a shame--post WWII history is my thing 150%. Thanks for the offer Uncle G.

[rodndtube]

In that case, staying in North Orange, which I assume would be the Long Beach to Newport Beach, maybe down to Laguna Beach, more or less...
1) Huntington Beach International Surf Museum (there are also a couple of gargantuan surf stores on the main drag so you can get a "feel" for SoCal surfing!);
2) Frog House Surf Shop (along coastal hwy, north end of Newport Beach--the interesting stuff is mostly in back);
3) 15th Street Surf Shop, 103 15th Street, Newport Beach, CA (take some time to browse around and look carefully or you will miss things)

Laguna Beach is the center of skim boarding. You might also stumble into somebody riding a "Laguna-style" paipo board.