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There's a bit of good old-fashioned localism going on at Moss Landing, one of California's best beachbreaks. The place is watched over by a burly local crew, a combination of Point Break and Tequila Flats. These guys have been surfing the Landing for years, decades and they resent the ever-growing intrusion of outsiders at "their" spot. They are terrified that Moss Landing is going to become an annex of Santa Cruz, and they have been known to get feisty, particularly around longboarders and photographers.
You can't blame them for being protective of their spot. Moss Landing is a world-class beachbreak. During the winter, when a west swell is filling the bay and the offshores are howling out of the Salinas Valley, Moss Landing will take your breath away, in more ways than one.
Just offshore, hidden under all that water, the Monterey Canyon drops down to a maximum depth of over a mile. There are some strange critters floating around way down there, and the Canyon has an effect on what happens along the beach. The swell that hits Moss Landing has come out of very, very deep water and hasn't been slowed down by the continental shelf. The result is a very powerful beachbreak, and a place that is only slightly less frustrating and challenging than Ocean Beach. It can be almost impossible to get out at Moss Landing, and there is always the possibility of getting hammered by a triple-overhead wave.
In the winter, Moss Landing is a very serious surf spot -- big, powerful and challenging. For people who don't paddle like Buzzy Kerbox, the surf mellows the closer you go to the jetty to the south, and it gets gnarlier as you go north, toward the dunes.
There also is surf on the other side of the harbor, in front of the Moss Landing Marine Lab and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. There are some places to eat, drink and hang out on that side, and you might want to check out the pretty awesome facilities at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Funded by David Packard, these guys have some big, expensive toys for probing the depths and gathering specimens for the aquarium.
-- Ben Marcus
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Variable. Moss Landing can handle it all.
Long-period W, NW, big SW
small to mega
E. Straight outta Salinas.
8-10
sand
intermediate to very advanced
Good paddling surfboard. Good wetsuit. Valuables from your car. Good manners if also a PWC and tow board.
Fall, winter, spring, and sometimes summer on a big SW swell.
parking at Moss Landing State Park
It can get edgy out there, but there is lots of room.
Very vibey at times. There have been some WWF brawls at Moss Landing between the locals and visitors.
7
3. Minimal.
Frigid offshore winds, sharks, ice-cream headaches, icy stares, pushing through 30 waves in a set, getting caught inside by a triple-overhead bomb, or run over by a PWC.
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There are some good Mexican and fish restaurants around Moss Landing. Phil's Fish Market and Restaurant on the south side of the harbor looks like a fun place. Call 831-633-2152.
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There is self-contained RV camping at Moss Landing State Park.
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If the surf isn't happening and you don't have any dive gear, take a few hours and check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium. David Packard endowed this place with gazillions of dollars, and they have built an aquarium that even surfers will like. Use the same midday, midweek, midwinter strategy to avoid the crowds. There is a lot to see in here for ocean-minded folks. Check out the life-size, fiberglass models of great white sharks and shudder with fear. Admission is $15.95. Check out its web site at www.MBayAq.org.
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