South Surf 1

Central California most famous for San Francisco's Ocean Beach, Santa Cruz (first surfed in 1885 by three Hawaiian brothers) and of course Mavericks is a place of huge waves and a strong local contingent. California's spots are very swell direction dependent with north and south swells affecting each spot differently. A big north-west swell will light-up Mavericks and generally arrives from autumn to spring. Whereas a west swell will suffer less shadowing due to the generally west facing beaches. Wind is predominately from the north-west. Southern California is for good reason surfing's second home after Hawaii and the base of much of the industry. Famously surfed by Duke Kahanamoku in 1915 these sunshine beaches hold numerous classic set-ups. The degree of swell exposure, to storms from both the North and South Pacific mean year-round swell. Summer is slightly less consistent but still excellent by most standards. In autumn and and early spring the Santa Ana wind brings weeks of offshore conditions. If these combines with south swells then Malibu and Trestles will fire whereas places such as Rincon require a more northerly swell.