The spots
30 spotsBlack's Beach
Cliff-bound beach below La Jolla's Torrey Pines. A submarine canyon focuses energy onto its banks, producing some of the heaviest, ho...
Cardiff Reef
Long, mellow right-hand reef/rivermouth at the mouth of the San Elijo lagoon. A staple North County intermediate wave that handles most c...
County Line (Yerba Buena)
Long beach break and outer reef peaks at the Los Angeles/Ventura county line. Picks up almost any swell and offers something for every le...
El Porto
North end of the Manhattan Beach sand strip. The most reliable beach break in the South Bay — sand pulled in by the Santa Monica Canyon p...
Hammond's Reef
Long, walling right-hand reef break in Montecito. A classic Santa Barbara wave with very strong localism but undeniable quality on solid ...
Huntington Pier
Surf City USA's centrepiece. Punchy beach-break peaks either side of the Huntington Beach Pier — a US Open of Surfing venue and a con...
Malibu (First Point)
The most famous right-hand point in the world. A long, peeling cobblestone wave wrapping into the Malibu pier — birthplace of modern Cali...
Manhattan Beach
Iconic South Bay beach break. Punchy peaks up and down the sand; the pier produces solid sandbar peaks on autumn–winter swells.
Mavericks
California's big-wave colossus. A deep-water right breaking half a mile off Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay, focusing storm swells onto...
Newport Beach (The Wedge)
Legendary bodyboarding wedge at the east end of Newport Beach. A sideways jacking peak created by a jetty rebound — the most famous bodyb...
Ocean Beach (San Francisco)
Heavy, cold-water beach break stretching for miles in front of San Francisco. Strong rips, freezing water and powerful peaks make it one ...
Oceanside Pier
Heart-of-town beach break at the Oceanside pier. Sandbar peaks on both sides and very consistent surf — a working-class North County clas...
Pleasure Point
Long, mellow right-hand reef on the east side of Santa Cruz. Multiple peaks across First, Second and Sewer (Sewers) Peak; busy, friendly ...
Rincon Point
The 'Queen of the Coast'. A long, peeling right-hand cobblestone point on the Ventura/Santa Barbara border that produces some of ...
Salt Creek
A-frame beach/reef peak below the bluff at Dana Point. One of Orange County's most consistent performance waves and a long-time bodyb...
San Onofre
Mellow, multi-peak point/reef just south of San Clemente. 'Old Mans' is the easiest, friendliest reef break in California — the s...
Steamer Lane
Santa Cruz's iconic right-hand point breaking off the West Cliff. Multiple sections (Slot, Middle Peak, Indicators) and a cliff-side ...
Sunset Cliffs
Series of reef breaks at the base of San Diego's Sunset Cliffs (Garbage, Ab, Luscombs, North Garbage). Heavy, raw waves with sketchy ...
Swami's
Long, walling right-hand reef in Encinitas, immortalised in 'Surfin' USA'. Holds size well on winter W swells and is one of t...
The Hook
Short, fun right-hander on the east end of Pleasure Point. A favourite Santa Cruz longboard and beginner wave when small N-W swells are r...
Topanga
Boulder-bottom right-hand point at the mouth of Topanga Canyon. Crowded, dirty water, but a long ride when the right swell wraps in.
Trestles - Church
Long, mellow reef wave at the south end of the Trestles zone. More forgiving than Lowers — ideal for intermediates wanting a long ride.
Trestles - Cottons Point
Sheltered right-hand point above Uppers, fronting the Nixon estate. Long, walling rides on a clean SW swell — historically off-limits and...
Trestles - Lower Trestles
America's premier performance wave. A walling, mechanical right-and-left over a cobblestone reef at the mouth of San Mateo Creek — th...
Trestles - Upper Trestles
Long, fast right-hand cobblestone point just upstream of Lowers. Holds size better than Lowers and produces some of California's long...
Ventura Point (C Street)
Right-hand cobblestone point at Ventura. Multiple peaks (Stables, Pipes, Fairgrounds) and one of California's most consistent waves —...
Windansea
Reef peak in La Jolla with deep surf culture. The middle peak produces a powerful right and left — heavy, demanding and strongly localised.
Zuma Beach
Long, powerful beach break west of Malibu. Picks up big winter swells and offers consistent peaks far from the Malibu crowds.