Northern Orange County (which we define as Long Beach — which doesn’t really have any surf to speak of because of all the jetties and breakwaters associated with the Port of Los Angeles — south to Corona Del Mar) is better known in the surf community for being the heart of the industry than for having amazing surf. In cities like Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and Irvine is where many of the most prolific action-sport companies have their HQs, including: Quiksilver, Roxy, Billabong, Volcom, Hurley, RVCA, O’Neill, Lost, etc.
The OC lives up to its reputation as a wealthy, conservative, suburban grid ruled by the 9-seater SUV and the soccer mom, and every home within a mile of the beach appraises for over a million dollars. But if you can get past the stereotypes, you’ll find some decent beachbreaks that pump all through summer and fall and sort of orderly calm that some find repulsive and others intoxicating.
Stand-out spots in the area include the Seal Beach Pier, the world-famous Huntington Beach Pier (annual host of the US Open of Surfing and former WCT stop), the Santa Ana Rivermouth, Upper West Newport (54th Street, 36th Street, Blackies, and the Newport Point), and the awe-inspiring Wedge, which can break at 20 feet just a few yards from shore on the right south swell.
Though, culturally speaking, Southern and Northern OC are very similar (SUVs, soccer moms, million-dollar stucco homes), topographically, they’re quite different. While the north is essentially a flat grid, from Laguna Beach south the county is rife with hills, valleys, and snaking streets. In Southern OC the population density is far less than in the north, rendering beaches less crowded in summer. In the lineups, though, Southern OC crowds can be just a frothing, if not more so.
Laguna Beach has some amazing waves, but they aren’t obvious. Locals understand how they work, but they aren’t very good at sharing, so chances are if you’re surfing in or around Laguna, you’re surfing Salt Creek. A standout break made popular by the photography of the late, great Larry “Flame” Moore, Salt Creek is the home of Chris Ward and about a million other pros who grew up in the punchy, wedging beachbreaks.
Further south is the once-spectacular Dana Point, which suffered greatly when they build the massive breakwater that now protects its harbor, but there are still good days just north, though they require local knowledge to fully enjoy. South of the breakwater is Doheny, the long-fogotten home of all things longboarding.
South of Killer Dana is San Clemente, where more beachbreaks abound. The pier can be really fun on the a good south and is worth checking. T-Street (about a mile or so south of the pier) can be epic, too, in the right conditions.
Southern OC butts up against the northern boundary of the US Marine Corp’s Camp Pendleton — 20 or so miles of drastically undersurfed coastline that buffers San Diego County from the OC. Though all of Pendleton is part of San Diego County, and despite the simple fact that Trestles is in Camp Pendleton, most Orange County surfers insist that Trestles belongs to them. One surf out at Lowers and you’ll see why they’re willing to fight over it. Trestles is a world-class wave of the highest order and the annual site of California’s fall WCT Tour stop. If you take a trip to SoCal and you don’t surf Trestles … you screwed up, baby.
Surf Crowds:
Because the OC loves south swell, summertime can be chaotic and crowded. Armies of “tourists” from inland OC hit the beaches from late June to mid September, clogging the area’s wide white-sand beaches. The lineups suffer, but big south swells separate the men from the inland men, and when it’s 8-feet-plus, you can get waves without to much of a fight.
Surf Hazards:
Don’t worry too much about sharks. Oil spills from offshore platforms used to plague Huntington, but that hasn’t happened in a while. Be very wary of surfing the Santa Ana Rivermouth after a rain. The primary sewage treatment plant nearby pumps out a steady stream of fecal materials and flagellated protozoans.
Pollution:
Be careful for 48 hours after a big rain.
Surf Seasons:
Summer
This is the only time you might be inspired to migrate south if you live somewhere north of Point Conception. Orange County flourishes during this period when southerly swells from New Zealand mean endless right walls at Trestles, boils at Brooks Street, barrel rolls at T Street, no parking at Salt Creek, wedgies at the Wedge and a Snake River-like current at Huntington Beach. And, since the water can be a balmy 70 degrees, you’re enjoying all of this without the constriction of neoprene.
Fall
Orange County is chock-full of beachbreaks, and beachbreaks like crossed-up swells. Add a hot, dry offshore wind called a Santa Ana, and you get what California should be year-round: an endless supply of A-frames while all the kiddies are back in school.
Winter
What blesses Orange County in the summer curses it in the winter. Its southerly orientation tends to handcuff a number of breaks during the months between November and April, and it’s not uncommon for the breaks in other counties, namely Ventura and San Diego, to be twice the size as spots like Salt Creek. But there are worse places to be during the winter, like Avalon on Catalina Island. Expect mild winters, nippy but manageable water temps.
Spring
Once again, Orange County likes crossed-up swells. As soon as the southern hemisphere starts stirring in April, you have a good chance of finding some more of those sand-bottom A-frames. Go early, though, since Santa Anas are almost nonexistent. Keep the fullsuit handy, too: stiff afternoon onshores will keep the water temps at dead-of-winter lows.