Southern California, "May gray - June gloom"???

[simoo]

Hi guys, my name is Simone and I am an Italian surfer.
I'm planning a dream-trip to Southern California for the last week of May and the first of June. I would like to travel by car from San Francisco to San Diego, surfing the most of the time in the area of Santa Barbara and San Diego.

I'm really excited of this plan, but I've read that May and June are foggy, "May gray - June gloom". I don't understand well what it means: does that fog disappear in the early morning, or it goes on till late afternoon?
Again, is it just a haze/mist, or a bad fog?

Thank you in advance for any advise

Simone

[cwall]

Hey, Simoo,

I live in So Cal and "June Gloom" is for real. What happens is that we get a marine layer that rolls in off the ocean almost every morning. Two or three miles from the coast everything will be perfectly sunny and warm, but the beaches are usually socked in with low level clouds/fog almost every morning. Usually it burns off in the afternoon, but sometimes not and you get those grey skies all day. Sometimes "June Gloom" starts in May and lasts well into July.

Personally, I love June Gloom as it keeps the temperatures down and makes it possible to spend a lot of time at the beach without getting totally fried. (Don't ditch your sunscreen, though.) Not the best if you've got the family in tow who want to play on a sunny beach. And be careful with the weather reports while you're out here. Make sure you are looking at a page that includes all the micro-climates when you're in SoCal. The national pages will just say "LA" --75 and Sunny--- when its 65 and cloudy at the beach and 95 and miserable in the valley. "Weather Underground" is a good site that I use that has a zip code by zip code forecast so you can really narrow it down.

Have fun in Cali, bro.

[scsurf]

In SoCal mostly low clouds, marine layer, rarely foggy past morning. When you make it towards South Orange County P.M. me and I can give you the Local tips, good Mexican food etc.
That's a nice drive. (did it once)

[billie_morini]

Salve, Simone!
I like the May gray and June gloom, too, because it keeps the air temperature lower.

The most consistent and best surf in SoCAL occurs during the Winter. Surf is flat in Summer in Santa Barbara because the Channel Islands block Santa Barbara from receiving most swells directly from the Pacific Ocean. These islands block most everything except south-southwest swell (SSW). SSW swell mostly occurs in Winter.

Santa Barbara is a pretty place, so your family will enjoy spending some time there.

Some notable places to surf as you drive south from San Francisco.

Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz -- known nationally for consistent surf year round
Cayucos Pier, Cayucos -- fun little local spot
Pismo Beach Pier, Pismo Beach -- very consistent regional break
Rincon, mid-way between Santa Barbara and Ventura -- internationally known break
Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington Beach -- internationally known break in "Surf City, USA"
San Onofre / Trestles, North San Diego County (south of San Clemente) -- very consistent nationally known surf break

[Bali Surf]

Ciao Simone,

Ho parenti che vivono in Calabria. Ci sono onde li, no?

I've grown up in San Diego and travel to Italy from time to time as well. The others have explained the gloom pretty well. It's not very pretty, but it tends to keep the wind down. Personally, I hate the grey. You'll have fun in California.

You can plan your trip by keeping an eye on swell direction. It sounds like you are doing plenty of research and that's your best bet. In May and June, you'll likely want to hit spots that get a southern swell such as Malibu, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach. Hit the classics like Rincon and Trestles. Those places will be a bit crowded on good days and will have some really good surfers to contend with, but you should be fine.

The biggest issue you will have in California is the crowds. Some localization, but not like Hawaii. There will be fewer crowds in northern Cal and the Central Coast should be the best. Lots of surfers throughout LA (Malibu will be good for southern swell) and San Diego. In San Diego, your best waves are going to be in Oceanside and Blacks Beach in La Jolla, maybe Sunset Cliffs. WindnSea in La Jolla should be good as well, but beware of localism in that spot.

Bring a good wet suit. You'll need a full in the north and central coast. There it can be sweltering hot a few miles inland and 30 degrees colder at the coast. By the time you hit LA, you can get away with a shorty. San Diego will be the warmest.

Mexico - I don't know if your visa will allow you to visit Mex, but there may be some great surf just south of the border in Baja, Calofornia. Sometimes I cross the border for a morning surf session. Find a place called Baja Malibu or K38. Those are the best. If it's flat, head to La Fonda -it's always got waves. And don't leave without eating a bunch of street tacos. Don't drink the water.

Buon ventura!

Dino