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    You are here: Home / Surf / Surfing in Santa Cruz

    Surfing in Santa Cruz

    Aug 17, 2019 · 5 Comments

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    A description of the epic & iconic surf spots in Santa Cruz!

    Chef Daniela Gerson carrying her board out of the water after surfing in Santa Cruz.Santa Cruz

    Surf City

    Right point breaks, reef breaks and beach breaks
    Coves and river mouths
    Consistent year round
    The birthplace of mainland surfing in the US
    World class.
    A place I feel lucky to call a home!

    ***Huntington Beach officially won the name surf city but the title definitely belongs to Santa Cruz!

    A surfer getting into a wave in Santa Cruz

     

    A magical Santa Cruz sunset

    A pink and purple sunset in Santa Cruz over the ocean with waves coming in

    The Briefest History of Surfing in Santa Cruz You’ll Ever Read

    The first waves surfed in the mainland US were ridden in Santa Cruz by brothers Jonah, David, and Edward Kawananakoa in 1885. The town has had a thriving surf scene every since!

    People watching a very colorful sunset in the East Side of Santa Cruz

    A Break Down of the Surf Spots in Santa Cruz

    Santa Cruz has it all! The coast is conveniently shaped to ensure there’s always a spot to absorb swell from just about any direction.

    From beginning to advanced waves, a reef, beach and point break, Santa Cruz has got it all! Fall through spring is mostly northwest swell, and spring through fall is mostly south swell. Santa Cruz is shred-able almost every day of the year!

    West Side

    Cowells - best for beginners.

    Long, gentle, cruise-y, crumbly right point break ideal for long boarding. Sandy bottom. One of the best beginner spot in all of Cali! Definitely crowded, with lots of beginners and surf schools. Vibe is party wave friendly. Biggest danger here is other people surf boards.

    Natural Bridges - advanced

    Hollow, fast and powerful right reef break.

    When conditions are on, which is not that frequently, it’s similar to Steamer Lane, without the crowds.

    Steamer Lane – World Class.

    Fast and powerful. Sand bottom with rocks. Four reef breaks rolled into one spot - The Point, Middle Peak, The Slot and Indicators. The most famous surf spot in Santa Cruz. Best for folks that know what they’re doing and locals. Consistent and consistently croweded.

    East Side

    The Point – It’s waves after waves after wave on this magical strip of East Cliff known as Pleasure Point. Mostly right point breaks and reef bottoms, with the occasional left. Everything lines up on south swells and the waves go on for dayzzzz (season: spring-fall). Northwest swells are much more frequent but much less magical - still fun!

    Pleasure Point. Right point break, reef bottom. First peak is mostly shortboarders and second peak is mostly longboarders. Jacks (in front of Jack O’Neill’s house) is a very beginner friendly, longboard spot.

    The Hook: Right reef break. Hollow, fast, fun. Draws a lot of crowds because of the parking lot right in front. Southern tip of Pleasure Point. Down the stairs at the end of 41stAve. Long and short boarders.

    Sewers: This hollow waves is named after old sewer line. It's one of the more local spots on this side of town. Dont join the line up if you're a kook. Mostly shortboarders. Hollow. Right and left.

    Capitola Jetty: Right and left reef break, sand bottom, perfect longboard spot when its on, both right and left. Less crowded than Cowells. but also a lot less consistent. Check to see if conditions are on ya may score much less crowded surf than in town.

    a view of East Cliff, in Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz
    Pleasure Point

    An A frame wave coming in at Sewer Peak in Santa CruzA surfer taking off on a wave in Santa CruzSurfers out on the line up in Pleasure Point, Santa CruzA view of Pleasure Point, where the cliffs meat the ocean, and a surfer about to paddle outsurfers in the line up in Santa Cruz on foggy daya view of surfers in the ocean in Santa Cruz on a foggy dayA view of surfers out on the line up in Pleasure Point on a foggy day2 surfers sharing a wave at the Hook, a wave in Santa Cruz

    2 surfers on the stairwell in Pleasure Point carrying their surf boards

    surfers out in the line up in Santa CruzSunset in Santa Cruz, on the East Side

    Stoked on Surfing in California?! Me too! Check us this post on Surfing in Los Angeles!

    Have ya enjoyed this post? I’d love to hear about it! Please leave a comment below and if you're shredding in Santa Cruz take a pic and tag it on Instagram with #chefdanielagerson. I'd be so stoked to see it! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!

    Hope to see ya in the water sometime and lets make waves in the kitchen!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Douglas G Gyde says

      June 04, 2020 at 5:23 pm

      Well done but now everyone knows and itll be more crowded thanks bro

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        June 06, 2020 at 9:13 am

        Yeow! Didn't share any secret spots... really hope I ain't contributed to the crowds. Thanks for the feedback + stake stoked :)!

        Reply
    2. David Van Dyke says

      June 05, 2020 at 6:53 pm

      Beautiful story. I had a smile on my face the whole time.

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        June 06, 2020 at 9:13 am

        So stoked to hear that David! Thanks ya so much for the sweet feedback and hope ya get to epic sesh super soon :)!

        Reply

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    Meet Daniela

    VEGGIES ARE SEXY 

    Hi, I'm Daniela - a Los Angeles based food photographer and creative director. I began my career as a chef with a passion for sourcing colorful produce from local markets. I love emphasizing the beauty of real food with my images. I’m also a food stylist and recipe developer with a gorgeous prop-filled studio in Venice, California.

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    279 shares