About

It is a good Southern California beach break in a central area.

Atmosphere:
There is a sandbar directly in front of the lifeguard tower that can throw a freighttrain left on a good SW. A-frame peaks tend to occur on good NW. The place can also get hollow especially in the early morning. It's definitely not a world class wave but it does get good frequently and is much less crowded than surrounding beach breaks. The locals are fairly friendly. Unfortunately, a number of surf schools have popped up in the area and can crowd the spot with dozens of first-timers on big yellow foam boards. If you can surf no one will bother you as long as you don't drop in. If you're a beginner you may want to find your own spot even if it isn't breaking as well as the main peak. If you flounder in a local's wave, accidentally drop in, or even blow a good set wave, you may here it from a local. Just show respect and use common sense and there will be no problems. That goes for the beach as well.

Additional Info:
The best time for this wave is late summer through fall. Works best on a steeper-angled small to medium size swell with a long period. Best in the early morning on a rising tide - tends to blow out by late morning with the daily onshore winds although it sometimes will glass off near sunset. Locals in the water will leave you alone as long as you exercise good surf etiquette and watch your mouth. Avoid leaving anything of value on the beach or in your car. This is one of Southern California's last remaining beaches where it is legal to drink on the sand and many locals take full advantage of it. The summer experiences high tourist volume, mainly from Arizona. Best time of year for weather and waves is Sept./Oct.

Location

Access

Park in the public parking lot at the bay side Santa Clara Court : There's a stoplight at the intersection of Mission Blvd. Street parking is also a possibility but it is very limited and there are a lot of no-parking zones.

Wave Characteristics

Ideal Conditions

Crowd

Dangers

Rips / undertow, Localism, Pollution

Videos

None