Surfing Waves

Hi there,
I'm a -let's say- intermediate surfer from Argentina. I've surf abroad -Indo, Costa Rica, Brasil- but never in the US.
Next month (mid October) I have a family trip to San Francisco, and since I have a couple of days off by myself before meeting them, I want to score some waves, and thought the closer best surf destination would be Santa Cruz.

Any tips regarding surf spots? I read about some insane localism at Steamer Lane and Pleasure Point so I'd be happy to head to another spots if they are less crowded.
(I'm the kind of person who would trade a very good but really crowded wave for a good but way less crowded one)

Are there any other places nearby besides -or instead of- Santa Cruz which I should visit?

Would I need booties and hood that time of the year?

I've got Bruce Sutherland's Stormriders Guide to North America, but any info is always welcomed

Andy,
Santa Cruz is awesome. I used to surf their regularly when I lived in NorCal. Here are some quick thoughts.
1. Surf Pleasure Point because it is great. There are multiple breaks there. Simply avoicld the one closest to the little parking lot. It's called The Hook
2. Also surf 38th Street. It's very nice. The green house on the cliff side used to belong to Jack O'Neil
3. Go to the big O'Neil shop very close to the little Pleasure Point parking lot
4. You must see the entire surf park at Pleasure Point
5. You will need a 4/3 suit
6. You may want some thin booties, too
7. Go watch Steamers Lane and go to the little Surf Museum there, too
8. Unless you surf very well, you will not even try to surf at Steamers. You must jump from the cliff, contend with agressive surfers, and not crash into the rocky cliffs
9. There are several large and interesting surf shops founded by surfing luminaries
10. There may be special surfing events when you are there: a contest to watch, a movie premier, special store sales, or other things
11. Santa Cruz is a surfing dream. Do not pass it up
12. Search this forum. Several of us have posted more info about Santa Cruz as recent as last week

13. (Baker's dozen): Eat at Pink Godzilla Sushi close to the little Pleasure Point parking lot

Walk along Opal Cliff Drive on a mediocre surf day. Stop somebody hanging out on the sidewalk and say, "Do know the name of that break right there?" If you do this a few times, you'll get great information about the local surfing and may even find somebody to surf with.

Lots of good tips, thanks a lot
And just to make sure I'm making the right call (because I can still change the destination): for someone who'll be alone, looking to surf and chill for a couple of days, do you think that Santa Cruz would be better than Huntington Beach or San Diego?

andylev wrote:Lots of good tips, thanks a lot
And just to make sure I'm making the right call (because I can still change the destination): for someone who'll be alone, looking to surf and chill for a couple of days, do you think that Santa Cruz would be better than Huntington Beach or San Diego?

If you want night life, mayhem, and warmer water, Socal is your choice. Orange County and San Diego offer different cultural flavors of the Californian Megalopolis. Santa Cruz feels more small town (a very cool kind of working class small town). I think the beaches in San Diego are prettier than the ones in Orange County. Northern California offers a friendlier surfing vibe, in my opinion. You can find great waves in all three locales. I could offer more specifics, but I think it's better to keep those kinds of details off the internet. It's pretty easy to find surfing sweet spots once you get here. Practically every good surf spot has a cam.

I live in the area. I would start at pleasure point and work my way down to privates. Just don't be a kook and you will be fine. You will definitely need a 4/3 suit the water temp is starting to drop. As for steamers I would go and just sit at middles and snag the left overs.

Great. Thanks a lot.