Best Southern California Surf Spots

Surfing in La Jolla. Photo credit: Bengt E Nyman via Flickr.

Welcome to the Southern California coast. The waves are plentiful, the sun is hot, the women are pretty, and the water is cold. If you’ve spent your whole life idolizing those mystic rubbery men with bleached blonde hair who can walk on water, you’ve come to the right place. There’s plenty of great surf breaks in Southern California (or, simply SoCal, as the locals call it), and here are the top three.

Malibu. Malibu is, as they say, not just a destination, but a walk of life. Malibu is wealthy, elite, and epitomizes the Southern California ideal. There are many breaks in this small, 11-mile strip of greater Los Angeles, but Malibu Point Break is the hottest and most famous. Here you’ll find beginners to experts plying the water, and though busy, you can say you’ve surfed with the greats at a world-famous, long right point break.

Scripps in La Jolla is just north of San Diego and another all-time surfer spot. Scripps is located right off the main pier, and here you’ll find a selection of right or left-sided breaks, as well as a series of wave speeds. As it is, you’ll also find a good variety of surfing levels frequenting this beach. The waves here are known to be punchy and fast, but can be choppy at times.

Trestles is home to a handful of surfing competitions and events year-round. Long, rideable waves enter onto shore from several different points and make a great session for beginners and experts alike. This rocky-bottomed San Onofre State Beach makes for great waves, and many a San Diegan make the trip out here to paddle for some of the best waves there are to be had under a SoCal sun.

-Hudson

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