Lower Trestles:
The apex of everything surf in Southern California – peak action, A-framing rights and lefts and even a peek-a-boo view from the freeway. Lowers IS Ground Zero for high-octane surfing. Offering forgivably rippable walls going either way, Lower Trestles only closes out on the rarest of swells.
If there’s a sniff of south swell in the water, Lowers will welcome it with open arms. But if there’s a puff of south wind, Lowers will shut down quicker than 5:00pm on Wall Street.
Don’t expect to score Lowers uncrowded either (even on full moon nights). Watch any set roll through and you’ll see two (or more) guys taking off in either direction, which often makes things frustrating for even the biggest name pro surfers. But if you manage to wrangle one to yourself, hold on because you’re in for one of the best rides Southern California can offer.
Upper Trestles:
While the surf media limelight tends to focus itself a quarter-mile south, Upper Trestles steadily grinds out quality cobblestone righthanders that are often equally as impressive as Lowers. And if the river is flowing, Uppers can even offer a short, punchy left into the mouth. But the focus is always on the rights, especially since Uppers draws in a bit more west and northwest energy than its sister to the south.
North of the rivermouth is the outer takeoff zone, which peaks up the biggest but usually sections off once the wave reaches the corner of the cobblestone point. From the corner, which offers the most bowly, rippable waves, rights run through the quasi-cove created by sediment buildup from the San Mateo Creek. And if you pick off the right wave, it’s not impossible to go the entire distance — burning your legs through upwards of 150 yards. It should be noted that the sections are directly affected by sand and cobblestone placement. Big swells and the extreme rains that cause the rivermouth to burst are the main movers and shakers of Uppers’ wave quality.
T-Street:
T Street is known primarily for one thing — consistency. The entire West Coast from Jordan River to Cabo could be flat, and T Street, the central hub for San Clemente’s finest, would manage to cough up a wave or two that would make some surfer happy. There are a lot of things that help T Street break: sandbars, reefs, rocks and odd seaweed gardens all contribute to the wave’s quirky behavior, which can only be described as schizophrenic. It’ll transform from San O’ to mini-Backdoor in the time it takes to do a bottom turn. Although the T Street fanatics have a million different names for every hole in the reef, the break can best be divided into three spots: the Reef, Cropley’s and Beach House.
If you park your car at the base of Trafalgar Street and look straight out from the overpass you will see the main reef. On a strong south swell, lefts hit the outside reef, break slowly, then peel over the inside rock shelf, bowling in a fast down-the-line section. On winter swells, you get the opposite: long, workable rights off the reef ending in a collapsing shorebreak.
Cropley’s is strictly a winter break. Named after the owner of a tasty hamburger stand that no longer exists, Cropley’s provides fast, zippy right-hand peaks just north of the snack bar. Some swear it’s T Street’s best wave when it’s on — which isn’t very often. It takes just the right swell direction from the northwest.
South of the overpass, there’s a sandbar that old-time locals call the “Beach House.” It’s named after a candy shack that once stood more than two decades ago. On medium-size swells, you can catch some wedgy lefts and rights that are often less crowded and more geared toward shortboards and, yes, sponges.
T Street is a haven for bodyboarders. For the past 30 years, the beach has been blackballed during summer to allow the boogie crew to spin to their hearts’ content. As a result, T Street has produced a number of good professional bodyboarders who can often be found out in the lineup. Once fall arrives, most of the bodyboarders leave and in comes the San Clemente locals. Thanks to Martin Potter’s summer stays in the area in the early to mid-’80s, T Street is So Cal’s Fertile Crescent for the aerial. From Matt Archbold to the Fletchers to the Beschens to the Wards to Michael Losness, a whole army of light-footed surfers have honed their launches off the inside bowls that bend and warp and scream, “Spank me!”
Cottons:
The view from President Nixon’s oceanfront West Coast White House looks squarely down upon Cotton’s Point, the lefthander at the north end of the Trestles beaches. While it was good enough to take Nixon’s mind off the Watergate scandal, these days Cottons satisfies mainly longboarders and fun-shape-riding beginners.
The long, yet often-fat left breaks further off the beach than any of the other nearby spots. And, depending on sand buildup and the tide, the wave offers a rather flat face – perfect for working on your cutbacks. However, if there’s a large, long-period southerly swell and a minus low tide, Cottons turns into a quality high-performance wave, complete with a crackable lip-line and multiple barrel sections before unloading into the menacing shorebreak.
And the fact that you can take off in San Diego County and kick out in Orange County, all while under the watchful eye of Nixon’s ghost, make Cottons a pretty cool novelty wave as well as a welcomed break from the hustle and bustle of Uppers and Lowers.
San Onofre:
San Onofre State Beach is the Waikiki of the California Coastline — a beginner’s paradise of gentle breaking waves, long sandy beaches and an absence of ego. It was at this break, more than 50 years ago, that legendary surfers such as Lorrin “Whitey” Harrison, Don Okey and Bob Simmons planed forward using balsa/redwood surfboards. Today, it is one of the last few beaches that epitomizes the California surfing lifestyle. On any given summer weekend, you can find a whole tribe of surfers playing volleyball, talking story and swilling beer under grassy huts or sitting hunched over their longboards, waiting for the next lazy peak to float their way.
Locals divide San Onofre into three main breaks: the Point, Old Man’s and Dogpatch. All work best on a strong south swell. If you must bring a shortboard to San O’, which, by the way, is the equivalent of bringing a longboard to Teahupoo, the Point would be your best bet. The Point is located directly in front of the northernmost parking spot. On a head-high southwest swell, there are some relatively fast lefts (fast in San Onofre terms) and even a section or two to hit if you get lucky. Rights are far more predominant and can be milked with a funboard or longboard. During winter, the Point often shuts down.
With a 15-minute paddle to the south of Point, you’ll find yourself in the surfing world’s equivalent to the movie Cocoon. Here at Old Man’s, geezers rule and grommets learn. The wave rolls off a padded reef some 200- to 400-yards offshore and is mushier than a bowl of cream of wheat. A longboard that’d float Shaquille O’Neal is the weapon of choice and surfing etiquette does not apply. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see 10 people on a wave during the summer, nor is it rare to see lawn chairs and dogs brought on board.
Just south of Old Man’s is Dogpatch. It’s ideal for beginners if the swell is up and they cannot make the paddle out to Old Man’s. On a high tide, Dogpatch breaks in slow motion and is second to Doheny as Orange County’s easiest wave to learn on.
All of San Onofre’s waves are typically indecisive about breaking. If you understand this point, you’ll be well ahead of the game. Waves here like to crest, back off, crest, back off, crest, back off and then finally break. Trying to find your “one last wave” of the day can be a good trial in anger management. But if you find yourself ready to spout, you’ve missed the point. San O’ is there to remind us that in this crowded world, there’s still a spot where we can all ride together with smiles on our faces.