San diego surf scene

[hyber]

Hi, my name is george and i live in boscombe, bournemouth, south england.

The waves arent too good here and when they are its 2 foot onshore.

Basically me and my mum are thinking of moving somewhere, not just for the surf but just in general, ive suggested san diego and we are most interested in this area.

Im almost 16 atm btw. So what is the surf like down there, or orange county.

Are there any spots that are uncrowded?

Is it consistent/clean?

Is it expensive down there and how much on average is it to live in a small house nearish the beach?

Is there any other great features about the area?

Whats it like in general? a nice friendly place?

What would be the best area to live in around LA, orange county?

I was also thinking about florida so whats that like guys?

Im not really interested in the area above LA as ive heard its a great white feeding ground? and im trying to escape the cold waters of england!

Thanks alot

(ive done some research already but would like to know some personal opinions too)

[LovintheSurf]

Yah bro, San Diego is nice, weathers usually sunny and their are plenty of beaches that arent crowded. My favorite is Imperial Beach, its near the tijuana border, so its way down south San Diego. But dude the waves there are really nice. Waves always have at least 3 or 4 foot faces (unless its a bad day), and usually can get up to 6 or 7 foot faces as well. Not to mention this is the place to go if you wanna get tubed, waves are usually hollowed out and steep. Yes the surf is challenging but once you get good enough, say hello to the green room and some nice big waves. Lots of other good beaches to Mission Beach, Blacks, Windansea, etc. Good luck with moving!

[isaluteyou]

I used to live in the uk but moved out to san diego about 1 and 1/2 years ago. I would avoid LA and surrounding area's too full of kooks and la la's. As for san diego the weather down here compared to england is basically amazing its pretty much decent all year round and it hardly ever rains.

There are so many great surf spots dotted all the way up the coast in san diego. As for consistancy its not bad at all theres only a few days a year the surf is unsurfable. the autumn swells - winter is fantastic down here even the summer surf can get going but generally it drops off however normally you can still have a lot of fun.

There are beaches that avoid the cowds but mostly summer does get pumping. Winter crowds drop off a lot 2 days ago i had half the beach to myslef which was great.

If you live by the beach the atmosphere will be very beachy/surfer attitude. Its pretty laid back. I live in ocean beach which is a hippie type place

Compared to the uk prices out here are dirt cheap apart from housing by the beach which is still pretty expensive im paying $900 for a studio flat right by the beach (its a big studio though)

San diego in general is a great place all year round surfing basically.

Hope that provides you with some good info

[hyber]

thanks alot guys i was really suprised at the effort you put into your replies

its been very helpful and is there anymore information you could give me on the general lifestyle ( for my mum ) and cheap but nice areas, we were thinking of anahai or something also.

Ocean beach sounds good though.

[gdude335]

i live in san francisco. The surf isnt too god here. San diego sounds like alot of fun.
Dont tell me about the great whites brrrr.
Just to let you know in california in the past 200 years their has been around 130 attacks and noone were fatal!
Just dont go talking to the seals!

[surfishlife]

OC is a good area for surf, as far as i know, in terms of consistency, smaller crowds, water cleanliness, environment. beats LA area, as someone already mentioned. but...unfortunately very pricey to be in. you could live in the OC, but not have to be yards away from the beach- overall, any beachfront property will be pricey, dude, so you'll need to think tradeoffs i'm sure you know that.

LA area...i'd say venice beach is your best bet, if you want to live super close to the beach at more affordable price. i'm a uni student, and i know a good number of people who can afford to live in venice. santa monica beach also, but not within walking range to the beach (apts/condos are a minimum of $1.5 millioin)

i would LOVE to be in san diego for the surf! lucky you-- you guys have options.

good luck!!

[surfishlife]

i live in san francisco. The surf isnt too god here. San diego sounds like alot of fun.
Dont tell me about the great whites brrrr.
Just to let you know in california in the past 200 years their has been around 130 attacks and noone were fatal!
Just dont go talking to the seals!

where abouts san francisco? i live like 10-15 minutes away from half moon bay, off 280.

[SDCali]

Very expensive to live in OC and San Diego. I am about 12 miles from the beach and houses in the area are selling for over $600,000. If you want close to the beach, you'd be looking at something like a million or more for a house.
Your parents will also have to take into account the employment situation, some businesses are booming and will always need workers, but others are quite closed off and are starting to lay people off around here.
Beaches in OC are consistant as someone else said, but can get very crowded, especially in the summer. Was at Huntington Beach a couple of weeks ago, and I swear there was about a stretch of about 7-8 guard towers where there were surfers out in the water, so there were no real gaps it was all people.