California for a gap year

[dacosta]

Well, im going surfing for a few months next year (about 7) and I have a good idea about the countries and places i want to go to but Im not sure if California is worth going to. Its just Im only going to like 4 places (im beginner-intermediate) and i think there might be better places I could go. Also, how much are sharks a problem in california, i mean i know there are some places where there are more than others, but i would love to do a road trip, but dont want to find some tight unsurfed break (if that stills happens in Cali), paddle out and find myself surrounded by sharks (if that ever happens). Any suggestions instead of California would be much appreciated.

[parrysurf]

No worries on the sharks...especially if you keep it south of point conception. California is a great place to surf, but there are crowds most everywhere. A suggestion, you might be to start in Ventura and work your way to the Mexico border...from there you can cross and surf down baja to cabo then ferry over to the mainland, and surf your way along. Trip of a lifetime...you may lose your beginner status if you do it tho!!

[dacosta]

cool, yeh, i dont mind losing my beginnerness (if thats a word), that does sound like a wicked trip but i think that may be one for another time. The other places I was thinking of where New Z, Fiji, French Polynesia, Bali, and Hawaii. I was also going to have a few weeks in europe in a campervan moving down the coastts. Ive sorted it out in the order of how challenging the surf is, so I have saved indo and the other reefy places for towards the end of the trip.

[billie_morini]

dacosta,
certainly New Z, Fiji, Fr. Poly, Bali, and Hawaii are exciting places to go. [out of place comment: Bali is not really a beginner-intermediate place, but maybe in 7 months you'll be intermediate-pretty damn good]

But, California is critical from the perspective of surfing history. In addition to having quite a few world renowned breaks, California has not one, but two authentic "Surf City's," many towns wholly consumed by surf culture, and many great surf locations. Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, Dick Dale, the Surfaris, and many other surf bands originated in So CAL. California shapers have made tons of contributions to surf board innovation. Really fine wetsuits were developed here by O'Neil. Daniel Duane wrote his classic, "Caught Outside," based on his surfing experiences in Santa Cruz. There are many more things I'm sure I'm omitting, but you get the point. California is surf. You have to come here in your surf safari.

I'd modify Parrysurf's suggestion: do everything he says, but start in north of Ventura in Santa Cruz. Then go south and while closing in on San Diego, you must spend a couple of days at San Onofre.

About sharks in California: they're here, but so what? You run greater risk of auto accident driving to our breaks than by getting bitten. It's sharky in the north where I live and surf. Santa Cruz is ridiculously safe. I go there about two times per month. The farther south you go the less sharky it is.

[SDCali]

To add to billie's information about surfing history... the international museum of surfing is located in none other than the Surf City (officially trademarked) Huntington Beach California, it has some pretty cool exhibits as well as other rotating exhibits...lots of cool and really old boards there.

[billie_morini]

...and to add to SDCali's information about Huntington Beach: this is where you can surf the Huntington Beach Pier which appears regularly in this formum in beautiful photos made by our very own, Brown Dog Wilson. Plus, after surfing, you can have breakfast at the infamous surfer's hang out, "Sugar Shack Cafe," located at 213 Main St.

If you ever wanted to buy surf gear and surf-related gear, than know there are at least 3 cities in California with more than 12 surf shops, 4 towns with as many as 8 surf shops, and a plethora of towns along the coast with at least 1 surf shop.