SoCal Storm Surf

[Heymski173]

Came down from vancouver bc and am now in LA with a couple buddies. With this incoming storm cycle wondering if anyone has tips on spots to surf/stay in South or central Cali under heavy winter swell. I'm borderline intermediate and buddies are pretty green so we will be looking for somewhere protected from the biggest surf. Thanks for any advice!

[Ottime]

It is not going to get too big in SoCal from much of this stuff. Just maybe stormy. It will also depend on wind direction. Around Santa Cruz it just turned hard SE, and will then shift NW, the S, then SW, then NW over the next few days. Each direction would send you to a different wind protected break. In general, south facing breaks will be smaller than west facing breaks. If you get a south wind, try Haggerty's. NW, Trails. I'm sure there are others who could help you out more, but need a bit more info about what type of waves you are looking for. Should not be that hard to find some wind protected spots. Have you though of driving up to SB? Swell arriving Tuesday might fill in up there.

[Long duc dong]

I know Orange County primarily, and if you want gentle surf I doubt San Onofre will be too bad, although I could be wrong. Truth be told I don't know San O very well so maybe someone else could chime in. Northern Orange County might be a bit big on Monday, as Surfline is calling it 4-6. 4-6 might be OK for an intermediate, but I don't think beginners should be out in surf like that. I don't think Tuesday will work, as it will be too stormy. You might try some of the northern LA spots, Malibu area, as some of them don't pick up NW swells as well, and might be smaller. The south bay picks up NW and W swells so it might be too big for you guys. I have heard that Torrance is pretty sheltered, but this storm might be too big for even there. As far as central cal goes, Surfline is calling San Luis Obispo 6-10+ for Tuesday, so that will definitely be too big, I would avoid going up there. It really sounds like this swell will be too big for beginners and borderline intermediates, but you might find some sheltered Malibu spots which work for you. It sounds like Monday will be the day, so I would hit it then. I think Haggerty's might be too big for them, but good suggestion about the SB area Ott. Santa Barbara is pretty sheltered, so it might be OK for you guys. Good luck.

[Long duc dong]

Ott,

It looks like you guys will have surfable conditions on Monday. After that, Surfline says the weather will be pretty rough until Friday. Good luck, I hope this works out for you.

[Ottime]

Surfline smurfline. Winds mellowed this afternoon for some options. We basically have the winds clocking all over the place this week, but we can basically handle anything except for a direct SW. Within an hours drive that is. I decided not to surf this morning, as I didn't want to drive to Moss for the gamble. I am sure Marina was surfable this morning. Also points north of Ano. But yeah, it is not like this past week with nice solid swell on the exposed coast, and ENE winds. Next week looks even stormier. Time to head back up to the snow.

[Heymski173]

Awesome thanks a lot for the beta. We are based in carpinteria tonight and worth the winds dying looks like SB could be good. What about Ricon? Too advanced?

[Ottime]

Ricon is a very long wave. The outside peak is competitive. As is the middle section, but it mellows as it wraps into the bay. Worth a look, as it is a classic. Just north, near campus is Devereux, which is a nice little reef/point, but way less packed. I think Ricon picks up more swell between the two. Or Campus Point.

[whitekingsalmon]

Thursday is the big day.....enjoy the nasty cold water.

[BS720]

I don't know of too many mags in the area, so I'll throw out Pitas. Should work on this swell. The only person I know in SB will be heading other places. There's another two waves if you're willing to drive. One an hour, the other two. PM if you can drive.

[boarddad]

El Refugio and El Cap only fire when it gets big - could be very good. If you are up around Pismo / SLO, the reefs around Shell Beach never max out.

Are any of these spots for the inexperienced? No way. Not when it's big. Stay safe.

[Long duc dong]

El Refugio and El Cap only fire when it gets big - could be very good. If you are up around Pismo / SLO, the reefs around Shell Beach never max out.

Are any of these spots for the inexperienced? No way. Not when it's big. Stay safe.

I would second this. I think this swell is way too big for the inexperienced. Refugio and El Cap do get crowded when they fire, like every point in SB.

[ate'em]

Pitas was a stormy mess this morning. I skipped it and paddled out right in town. Definitely 'complicated' conditions for a rookie. Lots of water moving around, shifty peaks. Hard to be in the right place, but waves were fun if you were just right.