Surfing Waves

Any L.A. surfers on here?

I am looking for some advice for breaks that i can surf during these bigger swells so I can progress a little further.

I have been surfing for about a year and a half mostly at Venice Beach by the pier which is a great place on a smaller day and most people that are out are pretty chill. Once in a while I'll get right up to the pier, but in a crowd I'll avoid it.

Lately in the bigger swells that we are getting Venice just dumps and offers no real corners/shoulders. I went out for a couple hours last Saturday and didn't have as much fun as I do on smaller days.

Where are some other places that might work better on bigger swells for an intermediate surfer who, for now, still prefers beach breaks over reefs. Some place that favors goofy foot. I can surf left better than right.

I was told zeroes is a great place for lefts, but I've never been there. Was thinking about going there this Saturday for a bit.

I was also told Bolsa Chica might be a good spot.

Thanks.

Hey, post up how you did. I've only surfed up to Huntington beach during a swell, never north of there. Was told Seal Beach was good during a big swell, as well as county line, and of course, there is always santa monica but it gets crowded on a big day.

Let me know, I have stayed in LA for seminars before but did not bother bringing my board due to not knowing the area, would not mind taking advantage of being up there

Have you tried San Onofre? I had a great time as a beginner at Trail #4. Have you tried Bay Street? If it is big in Venice / Santa Monica, check the reports for El Porto, Hermosa and Torrance (Southbay). Sometimes one side of the bay is big and the other is small.

mjames wrote:Have you tried San Onofre? I had a great time as a beginner at Trail #4. Have you tried Bay Street? If it is big in Venice / Santa Monica, check the reports for El Porto, Hermosa and Torrance (Southbay). Sometimes one side of the bay is big and the other is small.

Thanks!

I haven't made a trip to San Onofre yet. I need to make a point to head down that way. I was aiming to remove myself from "kook" status by gaining a little more experience before I invaded some other spots.

Lately I'm getting frustrated with the quality of waves at venice and I feel like I should be scouting out some places with better shape and consistency. I consider myself an intermediate surfer now who knows the etiquette and knows how to share now so I feel I can probably venture out without getting vibed.

Try El Porto, it seems to be very consistent

mjames is right I used to surf venice all the time but seriously porto is consitently bigger but has a tendency to get blown out and the current is pretty strong

Hi lostafrican, welcome to Surfing Waves

mjames wrote:Try El Porto, it seems to be very consistent

Porto was pretty fun. Huge crowd on the weekends. Expensive parking. 25cents per 10 min? ouch. or maybe I'm just stingy....LOL.

Waves were pretty great, and even though there is a crowd, people were pretty cool there. There was a guy who was obviously better than I was who kept snaking waves from me. I let him have the first couple, then dropped in on him on his 3rd snake attempt. He didn't get mad or anything. Overall good experience.

I've surfed most of these places. I'm surprised you've had a bad experience at county line, I've always had just the opposite and it's a great wave with a big swell. Porto is very fun in medium surf, but when it's really big it gets a bit heavy.

I've been to all the beaches mentioned as well. If you want another beach break to check out, Zuma is real nice and you've got plenty of room to spread out and find your own real estate. I Don't know how big a swell it holds and it might break too close in on a low tide/big day, but its definitely another beach break in the area you should take a look at.

Also, if you really feel like driving you might want to head up to Silver Strand in Oxnard. There are two jetty breaks and then a beach break in the middle. I know it holds bigger swells, but fires on different swell directions than a lot of LA because of the Channel Islands out there blocking. I read online that it had a nasty nasty local scene, but I didn't have any problems and I'm obviously not local and very much a kook (I stay out of everyone's way).

I heard Strands fires, but have never been. Look up a place called C-Street (California street) It's a bit of a drive, but way worth it. It's a very large point break, and has multiple take off zones. On top of that there are many cute girls that surf there. It's in Ventura btw.