Ventura Introduction
Ventura County surfers have done everything in their power to separate themselves from their bubbly Angelino brothers and sisters to the south. Most people draw the line between Southern and Central California at Point Conception -- that obtrusive headland that filters Aleutian juice like a giant sieve. But Ventura County's water-borne legions don't see it that way. If you live south of the gritty agricultural city of Oxnard and decide to visit the region, you're considered a Souther, and there's a good chance you'll be told that you're not one of the in-crowd. Many of the area's surfers are slow to give up the longer arcs, black wetsuits and pintails of earlier decades, but it goes beyond that. Even if you know how to dress up like a soul ranger, you'll still have trouble assimilating to the surlier more conservative atmosphere.
Sorry to disappoint, but there isn't a grain of white sand in the 30 miles of Ventura and Oxnard coastline. People travel to Ventura County for its cheap produce and to visit the San Buenaventura mission (founded in 1782), not for its pristine shores. Santa Clara Rivermouth is particularly depressing. Since it's no one's jurisdiction to clean up the place, you'll be setting up your beach chair and your Smashball court next to broken bottles, used condoms and a few dead seagulls.
To the locals' credit, there's merit to their northern mentality when it comes to the surfing conditions. Not only is it one of the foggier and windier counties in the region, Ventura and Oxnard have an open net that captures just about every winter swell -- guaranteed to have some of the biggest surf south of Point Conception between the months of October and April. And with a wide variety of quality beachbreaks (Silver Strand), reefbreaks (Ventura Overhead) and pointbreaks (Rincon), you'll never become bored with the same old breakers.
Ventura County may look like the ideal sunbather's location on paper, but its beaches belong to the surfers.
Crowds
Part of the reason for Ventura County's notorious reputation for localism is due to its strategic position. Ventura and Oxnard are the main artery to three different inland freeway veins: the 33 (Ojai), the 126 (Santa Paula) and the 101 (Camarillo and Thousand Oaks). The true Valley isn't much farther, which clogs up the most accessible lineups -- especially California Street, Rincon and, to a lesser degree, Silver Strand -- and drives local surfers to xenophobic extremes.
Hazards
Aside from a fatal great white attack on a kayaker in 1989 (under strange circumstances), there have been no shark attacks -- and few sightings -- in Ventura County. Still, there have been plenty of great whites caught around the Channel Islands -- 15 miles off the coast -- so a run-in isn't totally out of the question.
The Seasons
Summer
Like most of Southern California, June gloom tends to be a three-month affliction. It might be even worse in Ventura County since the water is generally cooler -- no more than 65 degrees -- year-round. Summer's generally the most depressing season in Ventura and Oxnard (both Silver Strand and Rincon are flat), but there are a few breaks that'll keep you in the water. Santa Clara Rivermouth might even offer a tube or three on the right south-swell morning.
Fall
Most of those dreamy Santa Ana beachbreak A-frames you see in the magazines were taken in Ventura County during the months of September and October. Crisp mornings, crossed-up swells, hot, dry afternoons and long sand-gurgling barrels are what you have to look forward to in the fall.
Winter
From October to April, the regularfoots in Ventura County get to pretend like they're Tom Curren and the goofyfoots get to master their backhand. The area is home to five quality right pointbreaks, all of which have potential to fire during the winter months. Santa Anas are still common, which means beautiful things at beachbreaks like Silver Strand.
Spring
Every slightly onshore day in San Clemente is generally a real howler up in Ventura. Upwellings make the water colder than the winter months, and it's a good time to bust out the sails. Let's put it this way: the Santa Barbara channel is one of the roughest channels in the state, and it's roughest during spring.
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