How territorial/local is Topanga Beach, Malibu?

[avillax]

Hello, I moved to L.A. thinking local surfers were going to try to stab me with an infected needle.
The only place I've been surfing here is Huntington beach. Surprisingly, it had so many spots and everybody was extremely friendly, hard to believe but true, but it wasn't crowded at all.

Now I moved to Hollywood, and the nearest good beach would be Malibu, at Topanga Canyon.

How territorial/local is the crowd there?

Santa Monica and Venice are close too, but the waves there are apparently always super small, unless I'm mistaken?

[cwall]

It depends what you mean by "territorial/local".

Is anyone going to threaten you or mess with your car while you're in the water? Probably not, unless you are being a flat out jerk.

Are people going to expect you to let them paddle in front of you in the lineup and claim every single wave that comes through even if you've been letting them go for the last two hours without trying to take off yourself once? Probably.

The territorial/local vibe here is annoying, but not dangerous. Going to Malibu and watching perfect wave after perfect wave peel off the point can be like being stuck on a raft in the ocean: water water everywhere but not a drop to drink.

Stay cool, be patient, laugh off the octogenarian SUPs calling you off "their" waves, and you'll manage a good time.

[Bali Surf]

Hey, I think it's funny that you moved to LA and have been surfing Huntington Beach. Those guys don't like to mix LA with Orange County up there. For everyone else, it's all the same place.

You should be fine in Malibu. Don't be afraid to go for your wave. You have as much right to it as anyone, unless of course you're dropping in on somebody.

[cwall]

Aye, there's the rub. The line between "going for your wave" and "dropping in on" is hard to distinguish on a super crowded day at Malibu. Example:

You're sitting in front of the flag pole at Malibu First. Ten guys are sitting to your right (facing out towards sea). A swell comes. Everyone paddles. You can easily make it, but the ten guys that were on your right are now behind you and closer to the pocket. You smile and kick out before they can't start screaming "Mine!".

You turn to watch them go by and think "No problemo, its Malibu so I'm sure there's going to be a thousand more waves." About 60 seconds later the same ten guys paddle out and make sure to plant themselves to your right again so that when the next swell comes they are ahead of you again.

Repeat 50 times.

At what point do you just say "fleshin' it" and go? I've been in the water about a year and still have not figured out what the "unwritten" rules dictate in this situation. Maybe this should be posted in another forum.

Anyways, the point is I hear people bitching and moaning a lot at Topanga and Malibu but have never seen it get nasty.

[gd6]

I go to Malibu and Sunset blvd almost every week and I've never seen a confrontation of any sorts. From my understanding Topanga often has waves for more advanced surfers, so its probably more important to follow the rules there...but it still seemed friendly the two times I was there. Santa Monica is rarely worth it IMO, sometimes the waves can be good, but I've had much better luck at most other spots, and I don't like paying for parking. Definitely check out Sunset Blvd when the waves are big with a long swell period... Its similar to malibu in that it has a real long ride, but the waves are bigger and people aren't dropping in on you like crazy (it can still get busy, just not as much as malibu), and its also an extremely friendly spot. Sunset blvd is actually probably closer to you, just follow it until you hit the coast, take a left and park on the side of the highway. Make sure you only try sunset during low tide.

Btw, everyone who is complaining about Malibu is probably complaining about the main break closest to the pier. Thats the break with the long rides and tons of long boarders, and there will always be crowds there. A little further up the coast there (closer to the lagoon), there are two other breaks with bigger waves, that sometimes work really great, sometimes close out too much, but I've had some really good time at those breaks, and have had nice days with big waves (5ft) that were breaking beautifully with literally no one else there for periods of time.

[cwall]

Yeah, just be careful. Second is a little steeper and can take you into the rocks. Don't go up to third unless you know what you are doing. You're more likely to run into problems/confrontations up there. I say this as someone who is still relatively new, so maybe you'll do just fine......

[gd6]

I'm relatively new to this as well, but I've spent a good number of days on the 2nd and 3rd break and have not ran into any problems. I've really had positive experiences with people being respectful even at those breaks (though I am always trying to be respectful to others as well), and I really like the waves break there compared to el porto and the other beach breaks I've been too...you can also have nice sized waves, but its way easier to get out to the lineup, whereas at el porto I feel like half my energy is spent just getting out to the lineup cause I'm just learning how to duck dive.

[avillax]

Been there twice, things went bad to the point where I'm going to be retiring from surfing here in L.A. until I start seeing good waves in El Porto that are not steep tubes.

This is what happened in Topanga:

First day, wave every 20 minutes, for some reason I didn't run into problems, it seemed the lineup had been tired from being there since the early morning and were more concerned about chatting now.

Second day: good waves every 4 minutes, there's always somebody on the left calling the wave first, time after time.
Then the little bow that ties my leash to the board broke as if destiny in one wave. My board was taken from me by the wave and some dude ran over it splitting it in half, the dude was really cool about it, apologized, invited me to his Malibu mansion and gave me a crappy old long board with no leash that I sold for $35.

No more board, and no more desire to drive through traffic, pay for parking, compete for waves with lots of people, and get my board split in half anymore. I miss San Diego....I'm done.

[gd6]

That's a horrible ending to that story. A better ending would be if you found a good deal on another board you liked, and found a spot that you enjoyed (which is totally possible). I know someone who seriously hates the crowds of LA so he drives up towards the ventura county line, and goes surfing around Leo Carrillo state park, and says there are amazing spots up there with less crowds. Its only about 20 minutes from Topanga. I've been seeing tons of good boards on craigslist for $100, you just have to keep on refreshing the page throughout the day and wait for the right one.

[neilg80]

Topanga isnt necessarily localized, but there is definitely a competitive vibe there and since its only one wave/take off zone, be prepared to duke it out. If your not aggressive at catching waves, you probably wont get any. That said, as with any new break you go to, be respectful, dont go straight to the top of the point, work your way up from scraps on the inside, to the top of the point by waiting your turn. You'll get waves eventually.

[avillax]

Yeah, I'm in a big dilemma. I really liked my board, it was a 5'10 Al Merrick Flyer Tuflite, pretty beat up but very surfable.
Only a 6' flyer would give the same results but be way heavier. Also I'm having problems finding good boards on craiglist here at L.A. compared to San Diego, I see pretty good deals in S.D. I just don't want to drive all the way there.

My budget is $200 max. What popular models can I find in L.A. similar to the Al Merrick FLyer?

BTW, Huntington beach was really good all the times I surfed there, only territorial at the pier but the rest of the beach is empty pretty much, I would drive all the way there if I get another board.

[gd6]

You gotta stalk craigslist for a while to find a good deal. I would search for surfboard, title only, under $200, then bookmark that to my bookmarks bar on my laptop. ANytime I would have a minute I would check that page and see the most recent listings. You'll see the same old boards being posted over and over gain but occasionally someone will list a really nice board for 100-150. My last purchase was a 6'4" Channel Islands K-Small for $95 in really nice shape (no fins though). I also got a really nice 8'2" pure fun longboard in excellent condition for $100 as well.

It might take a little while to find the board you want but be patient...there are a lot of surfers in LA and eventually someone will post something you want for less than you would expect. Just make sure to see it before someone else does and contact them asap.

Good luck, and definitely try the beach breaks up around leo carillo state park if you find another board...

[avillax]

Hello, from what I've heard, Leo Carillo seems quite similar to Topanga, and it's a bit far, $$$ gas. Any Malibu beach in between Leo Carillo and Topanga you recommend?, I'm about to get a nice Al Merrick Double HElix which is a board I want to try.

[gd6]

I haven't hit many other spots than the ones mentioned...I'm happy with sunset blvd and malibu once the waves get 4ft+, which hasn't been that often. I do plan on trying other spots in the area but figured it would be best getting better on my shortboard where I'm comfortable and confident (I just started using a shortboard a few sessions ago). I do plan on going up the coast and checking out latigo point and point dume/ zuma beach sometime...thats not much further. When the surf gets big Sunset gets a bit crowded but its been very friendly everytime I go out.

[avillax]

So how is sunset compared to Topanga? I've passed by but never parked there. The surf report doesn't really say much about it and I remember I once saw it was packed and it was told it had to do with the fact that sunset strip ends there.

Also what about Malibu state lagoon beach (surf rider)? That is in between Leo Carillo and Topanga, I heard the breaks are long and so it doesn't get crowded. But I also heard it's mostly long boarders which isn't really a problem if waves are at least 3 feet sometimes which I think can happen.

By the way, I was able to get the Al Merric Flyer Double Helix 5'10, the board looks awesome and it was $180 almost new! I haven't found much info no the board, but it's epoxy with PU core and it's characterized as being really flexible to another level, I don't know what all of this means but I'm dying to try it, it look so nice!

[gd6]

Sunset is awesome if the surf report shows 4-5ft waves with a long swell period. Plenty of room to spread out, the waves break super consistently and predictably to the right and they never close out like the beach breaks do when the waves get big. Its really my favorite spot right now and I even enjoyed it when there was over 100 people in the water (and that was my first day on a shortboard too). Free parking is usually available alongside the highway.

Very Important note for sunset, it only works during low tide. Check when low tide is and its best when its lowest, but still works mid-tide but doesnt work at all during high tide.

Malibu State Lagoon can be good, and there is room to spread out, and is rarely crowded as it is usually not longboarder friendly. I've had good times there during high and low tide. Big waves can sometimes be very nice but sometimes close out like a beach break...unlike sunset which seems to be super consistent when big waves come in.

The flyer double helix looks like a nice board...haven't tried surfing epoxy yet though

This Saturday is going to be crazy...looks like there will double overhead+ rolling in, I've never seen it that big (though I've only been surfing for like 8 months)

[avillax]

Yeah, I saw the report dude, it is going to be loco. BTW what's your name and what board do your ride, it might be cool to hang out. My name is Kensho, I'll be riding a yellow al merrick double helix and will try sunset. Thanks.

[cwall]

Btw, you'll need some swell to ride Sunset with a smaller board. Sunset is a slow wave. Fun on a longboard when it is doing its usual 2ft thing, but tougher to get going on a shorter board. There are a couple guys out on the point who manage it pretty well on a shortboard because they can take off farther up the beach and get enough speed to make it over that first section. Have fun.

Yeah, I noticed there are less boards on LA craigslist as well, and its a lot of scumbags posting the same board over and over with different stories of how they "found" it. LA. I eventually got mine on CL (10ft Walden in good shape for 350$)and I've enjoyed it for over a year. I probably overpaid, but its worked for me. Glad you found one.

Looks like its going to be too stormy to surf, but they haven't backed off that 20+ft face forecast for County Line, Porto, and 15+ at Sunset. I haven't seen non-Wedge waves that big in LA in the few years I've lived here. Hope to at least get some good pictures.

[avillax]

Thanks for the advice cwall. I have the feeling that it will be a good experience because these Al Merrick flyers are designed for small waves. For what you guys are telling me this wave seems similar to San Diego's Tourmaline, which is also a spot famous for long boarders, however I was able to catch extremely nice lefts and rights with my previous Al Merrick flyers. Sometimes the wave would cause abrupt stops but when you had it going it was going slow and nice for an intermediate surfer and it was my favorite. I hope to experience the same at Sunset.

I got mine on CL Orange county, and the guy was at long beach, CL LA is definitely dry in terms of boards.

Yeah right now L.A. is stormy, and I don't think the big swell on Saturday will be rideable but I'm totally ready for next week is going to be good.

Let me tell you something about epoxy: you know I'm barely an intermediate-level surfer with not so much experience but hope this helps to ya'll.
Epoxies are extremely light and buoyant, I've had many Flyers and I can tell you that a 5'10 epoxy flyer is as buoyant as a 6' - 6'1" glass Flyer, so it's really safe; I've had the board hitting me on the face or back or hips with no pain and no damage to me, also epoxies don't create drag when you fall or lose the board and are fairly resistant (but can be destroyed like my previous one). So they feel as friendly as having a boogie board.

The only advantage I've seen in glass boards is that they stick to the water, they create some sort of vacuum while epoxies tend to be more airy, also glass is more flexible, but this new double helix is supposed to be beyond flexible!

[avillax]

So I just came back from Sunset, it is good! the wave has nice shape and it's not too crowded and people are friendly, only problem is that the wave is so slow that it skips you a lot, I need something with more foam. I spent 3 hours there, at the end I was too tired and that's when the wind was breaking the waves easier which could have helped me.

The board is good, I'm still dialing it in, it isn't very buoyant like a regular EPS epoxy, I would say it's in between and I did feel like I needed more foam for those waves, I'm also gonna need more wax, but when riding it, it felt really gliding and responsive unlike my previous regular Flyer epoxy, so I would say it is a step up for me which is a good thing, I would say it rides like a Fred Rubble, it's really interesting. In the future I will need to buy a fish though like a Neck Beard, Fishcuit, Biscuit, Dumpster Diver.

But yeah, Sunset is good for me right now, I think it was a 40 min drive, so I can see the sun shinning in the horizon now.