North Los Angeles Introduction
Northern Los Angeles County (and by that we mean from County Line to the northwestern most corner of Santa Monica) isn't what you're thinking. This mountainous, lush, green, quite, wave-rich stretch of coast is the yang to metro L.A.'s formidable, grid-like, flat, paved, wave-starved yin.
The jewel of North L.A. County is, of course, Malibu, where Miki Dora laid down the law, and hordes of surf-stoked city boys follow it to the letter. This is the beach where Gidget hung out and where surfing's mainstream movement took roots. Today, the retro movement calls Malibu its Mecca, and you'll see groups of 19-year-old guys sitting on the hoods of their 1940s Plymouths, smoking Camel Lights, and combing their hair back. This sight can instantly transport you back to pre-Vietnam America, and you might suddenly get the urge to go out and vote for Kennedy. It's not unusual to rock up to Malibu on a hot August afternoon with a 4-foot swell peeling 150 yards down the point, and see 200 surfers in the water ... all vying for one wave. And if you drop in on Cameron Diaz or Zach de la Rocha, try not to hit them, they're national treasures.
But Mal isn't the only good thing about this northern wing of the city of angels. Other spots include Zuma Beach, Leo Carillo, and the enigmatic and occasionally über-perfect Topanga. Fish and longboards go really well in this stretch of the world, so don't be afraid to do the time warp.
--Joel Patterson
Crowds
In a word: yes. Malibu is only eclipsed by Australia's Superbank when it comes to the most crowded spots on the planet, but the beauty of Malibu is that it frees up many of the surrounding spots by collecting nearly everyone. Keep in mind that Los Angeles County is home of over 10,000,000 people.
L.A. localism isn't very strong because almost everyone in the water had to make an hour commute to get there, though you might run into some real old-school locals now and then.
Hazards
Shark attacks aren't very common in L.A. Scientists theorize that sharks have too much self respect to spend a lot of time there. The bigger dangers here are petty theft, super-heater car seats, parking, and ultra-aggressive, balding lawyers who use the ocean as a form of therapy. Just be cool, and really concentrate on the hidden meaning the parking signs ... they can be complicated. If you cross your eyes, sometimes the silhouette of a dolphin will emerge.
Pollution
Yes. Avoid the ocean after a rain when 85 buhgillion gallons of god knows what runs through the sewers and into the vast, blue Pacific.
The Seasons
Summer
Summer in Los Angeles is typically warm and mild with temperatures reaching into the 90s, yet cooled by the ocean breeze -- T-shirt and flip-flop weather. Water temperatures generally hover in the high 60s through summer, which is a bit chilly, but you can still surf in the raw, and the surf comes almost exculsively from the south. Around August, temps get up near 70 degrees and quite a bit cooler from Malibu north.
Fall
September through November is the best time to surf in Southern California with cleaner and even warmer conditions than summer. The blessing here being the more frequent offshore Santa Ana wind conditions. (Unless you own inland real estate -- frequent tinder for the Santa Ana-fanned brush fires.) Add to that the early north swells crossing up with lingering souths and the exodus of the tourists, and you have little reason to leave SoCal in the fall.
Winter
The word "winter," when applied to SoCal, is almost a misnomer. December brings generally clear skies and temperatures in the 60s and 70s, though a few nights each winter can get down near the freezing point. This is the rainy season, but many find it almost comical to watch the L.A. local news coverage of StormWatch 2000 -- listening to the hype, you'd think there was a biblical flood upon the city.
Spring
Spring is a good time to surf somewhere else. On the upside, several good sandbars are left over from winter. An early session is your best bet, and don't put the fullsuit away just yet. Spring is probably the least desirable season for surfing in L.A., but savor some solitude before school lets out for the summer.
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