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Cowells - Break Data
Surf spot travel photo of Steamer Lane
Description
A classic name for a classic California surf spot, Steamer Lane is geo-strategically placed to sweep up just about everything moving within or just above the surface of the Pacific Ocean and put it to some use. Because Santa Cruz faces straight south, Lighthouse Point points almost directly south, and that weird geography is the secret to Steamer Lane's success. Swells from the west and northwest that ravage the coast north of Santa Cruz are evened out and groomed as they bend into the Monterey Bay. The same is true for the northwest winds that pound the north coast for most of the year. Because of the bend at the top of the Monterey Bay, those northwest winds blow offshore at Steamer Lane. When all that ragged swell and blustery wind meet at Middle Peak, the results are enough to make even Flea Virostko run for his collected works of Henry David Thoreau. There are few things in nature as beautiful as a 10-foot, offshore peak unloading at Steamer Lane.

Steamer Lane is maybe a little too irresistible, because it is now one of the most crowded surf spots in California. At any given hour, there is probably a wider range of people surfing Steamer Lane than anywhere in the world: women big and small, old guys who rip on shortboards, young guys who rip on longboards, timid, stoked, wide-eyed university students, Japanese visitors, Valleys, kayakers, crusty blue-collar construction workers and the local crew -- a growing cadre of rippers that includes some of the most innovative surfers in the world.

Steamer Lane is an extremely competitive and self-conscious surf spot. Sitting in the water at the point or at Middle Peak, it is hard to shake the feeling that you are being watched, because you are being watched. The cliffs are watching you, the people on the cliffs are watching you and the mountains that rim Santa Cruz are watching you. Paddling out at Steamer Lane is like walking onto a stage, and the best surfers take this very seriously.

That self-consciousness and the relentless competition for waves has shaped the Steamer Lane style. A surf session there is as much a performance as anything else, and the best surfers do their best not to disappoint. The locals have been surfing the place since childhood. They know every bounce, splash, boil, gurgle, section and nuance of every wave, and they have come up with unique ways to deal with all those riffles, cracks and rivulets.

Steamer Lane is a scene. It is a cliquey place. Because there are so many people using a scarce resource, they tend to group and flock together. You can read these groups from where they park their cars. The "dirt" lot (see glossary in "Other Things to Do") is on the west side of the bathrooms. The local lot is on the east side of the bathrooms. This is where you'll find the likes of Flea and Barney and Skindog, heckling themselves and each other before and after a surf. The "carp" lot is across the street from the local lot and can be distinguished by all the work trucks. The tourist lot is closest to the museum at the end of the point.

Just as Santa Cruz is divided into four distinct surf regions: Westside, Midtown, Eastside and Southside, and the parking lot is divided into four distinct sociological areas, so is Steamer Lane quartered into four different surf zones: Middle Peak, The Point, Slot and Indicator. You can read more about each of those by clicking on the "Steamer Lane Spots" box on this page.
-- Ben Marcus 		Best Tide:
Incoming medium low to medium high
Best Swell Direction:
W, S, or long-period NW
Best Size:
Small to triple-overhead
Best Wind:
NE, N, NW, glassy
Perfect-O-Meter:
10 (1=Lake Erie; 10=Jeffreys Bay)
Bottom:
Rock reef, kelp, a few sand patches
Ability Level:
intermediate to advanced
Bring Your:
Skills, scowl, patience, bellowing voice, hot-dog board, kelp-cutting knife, big-wave board
Best Season:
year-round
Crowd Factor:
Very crowded after 3pm and on weekends. No so bad when it's giant or during school.
Local Vibe:
Intense, at times nuclear and as crowded as the surfing world gets
Bicep Burn:
5 to 10, when it's big, expect nonstop paddling (1=1ft Waikiki; 10=15ft Ocean Beach)
Poo Patrol:
2, not too bad, unless you're doing the pooping (1=clean; 10=turds in the lineup)
Hazards:
Longboarders, locals, drop-ins, big surf, seals, sea otters, kelp, kayakers, getting pinned on the cliff, that big rock on the inside
Places To Eat
Endless possibilities. Because Santa Cruz is a university town and because so many well-traveled, worldly people have chosen to live there, Santa Cruz offers an amazing smorgasbord of good places to eat. You name it, from the strictest vegan to the most ravenous carnivore, Santa Cruz has it.

Limiting the choices to places that have a view of the ocean, the Ideal Fish Restaurant (831-4235271) at the base of the Santa Cruz Pier has a good fish menu, the waitresses are hotties and there's a $10 lobster special during the winter.

For a view of Steamer Lane and Cowell's while you eat a fish dinner, check out Stagnaro's (831-423-2180), The Riva Fish Restaurant (831-429-1223) or the other seafood places on the Municipal Pier.

But don't take it from us. Take it from Flea:

Flea's Westside Watering Holes
There are hundreds of places to eat in Santa Cruz, most of them very good. We asked one of Santa Cruz's most outstanding citizens, Darryl "Flea" Virostko, to recommend his favorite places to chow down after six hard hours of surfing in Town. If you go to any of these places, tell them Flea sent you.

"For breakfast, I like the Harbor Cafe on Seventh Avenue, Zachary's on the mall or the Walnut Street Cafe on, you guessed it, Walnut Street. For lunch, there's Taqueria Santa Cruz on Mission Street, by Farrel's Doughnuts. Try the shrimp burrito and super size it. For dinner, I like The Riva on the Wharf. They have really good seafood. Try the oysters guacamole. And for a rawer seafood experience, there's Shogun Sushi on the Pacific Garden Mall. It's all good."
Places To Stay
If Ruffo won't let you crash at his pad, Santa Cruz offers dozens of hotels, bed and breakfasts, youth hostels and railroad trestles to accommodate every pocketbook. You can find links to most of them at www.santacruzca.org.

There are lots of choices, ranging from cheap flea bags to up-scale places like the newly-renovated Dream Inn. This is Santa Cruz's only high-rise hotel, located on the beach at Cowell's, constructed over the bones of Jack O'Neill's first Santa Cruz surf shop. The Dream Inn has a beautiful view of Cowell's Beach, the Santa Cruz Pier and the sweep of Monterey Bay. The hotel is walking distance from Steamer Lane, the booming surf makes for pleasing acoustics, and there's a nice hot tub down at the pool for apres surf. Check it out here.

Or try
Things To Do
The Pacific Garden Mall was rebuilt after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, and it is thriving. There are movie theaters, coffee shops, pubs, bars, book stores, record stores, a surf shop, a Gap and so many eccentric, transient, pan-handling weirdos, they should charge admission. The Catalyst is a good place to go for a drink and check out a band. The Mall is always good for a stroll.

If the surf is bad but you still want to commune with nature, there is good hiking in Big Basin Redwoods State Park or the Forest of Nisene Marks. Just aim for the mountains and you'll end up in the trees. In the winter, there's good fishing in the San Lorenzo River. If you have kids, they might enjoy the Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad in Felton. In the summer there are trains that come all the way into Santa Cruz, make a big loop into the mountains and then return.

Santa Cruz is also a great movie town. There are a couple dozen screens in Santa Cruz, most of them playing mainstream movies but a few, like the Nickelodeon and the Sash Mill play hard-to-find independent and foreign movies.

Just getting into the game? Santa Cruz has plenty of camps to school you. Try Club Ed Surf School and Camps (831-459-9283 or www.club-ed.com), Santa Cruz Surf School (831-426-7072 or www.santacruzsurfschool.com or Richard Schmidt Surf Camp (831-423-0928 or www.RichardSchmidt.com).

Do your research at the Santa Cruz Surf Museum in the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse, located on West Cliff Drive at the Lane. Call it at 831- 420-6289 or log on to www.cruzio.com/arts/scva/surf.html. It's open Thursday through Monday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., in the winter, and Wednesday through Monday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., in the summer.
Surf Shops
The last time we looked there were nearly two dozen surf shops in Santa Cruz, which is a little silly but also useful if you need some wax or a new leash. Some of them, like the Haut Shop on the West Side and Freeline Design on the East Side, have been in business since the '60s and early '70s. Many others are Johnny-come-latelies.

The following is what we came up with:

Arrow Surf and Sport (West Side), 2322 Mission St., Santa Cruz, 831-423-8286
Arrow Surf and Sport (East Side), 312 Capitola Ave., Capitola, 831-475-8960
Cowell's Beach N Bikini Surf Shop, 30 Front St., Santa Cruz, 831-427-2355
Davenport Surfsail Repair and Equipment, 10 Marine View Ave., Davenport, 831-429-6051
Freeline Design Surfboards, 821 41st Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-476-2950
Haut Surf and Sailboards, 345 Swift St., Santa Cruz, 831-426-7874
La Selva Beach Surf Shop, 308 Playa Blvd., Watsonville, 831-684-0774
Nolands Sun and Surf, Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, 831-423-5500
O'Neill Surf Shop, 1149 41st Ave., Capitola, 831-475-4151
O'Neill at the Boardwalk, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz, 831-459-9230
O'Neill Beach at the Yacht Harbor, 2222 East Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, 831-476-5200
Pacific Wave, 1502 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-458-9283
Paradise Surf Shop, 3961 Portola Dr,, Santa Cruz, 831-462-3880 or www.paradisesurf.com
Patagonia Santa Cruz, 415 River St. #C, Santa Cruz, 831-469-1945
Santa Cruz Surf Shop, 753 41st Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-464-3233 or www.santacruzsurf.com
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Have a correction, update or addition for this spot? Contact us at travel@surfline.com