Surfing in Los Angeles / Kauai (August, Sept.)

[MIRI13]

Hi all

I'm 29 years old and started to surf last year. In August and September 2014 I'll be going for the first time to LA and Kauai. Does anyone has recommendations where to stay and surf in both places?

Thank you.
Cheers Miri

[scsurf]

Love Kauai,
I'd say, safe beginner summer spots would be Hanalei bay or in front of Kauai Marriott.
Rent board at Tamba in Kapaa.
What dates are you gonna be there?

[oldmansurfer]

Here is an interactive guide http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/kauai_beaches/ If you have questions about Kauai ask me

[oldmansurfer]

What is your skill level and what kind of board do you use? If you are a beginner and price is not a worry the Marriot is really nice and has a surf spot right in front of it. Usually it is frequented by SUPers and older people but it can break really nice and if you stayed there it would be so easy to get up early and surf that spot before the SUPers get out there. It is usually better for longboards but there can be some nice tubes there and I posted a video in the video thread that showed one of the local surfers who went pro surfing that spot on a sort of good day. A friend of mine also does surf lessons there.

[surf patrol]

//offtopic

oldmansurfer, would you be willing to contribute some of your knowledge here https://surfing-waves.com/atlas/nort ... kauai.html ?
It's very limited, so anything you could add would be appreciated.
Cheers, SP

[oldmansurfer]

I will try but I tried previously and couldn't figure out how to do it.

[MIRI13]

Love Kauai,
I'd say, safe beginner summer spots would be Hanalei bay or in front of Kauai Marriott.
Rent board at Tamba in Kapaa.
What dates are you gonna be there?

Thanks for the recommendation. I'm going to be there from the end of august until the end of september.

[MIRI13]

Here is an interactive guide http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/kauai_beaches/ If you have questions about Kauai ask me

Perfect!! Thank you

[MIRI13]

What is your skill level and what kind of board do you use? If you are a beginner and price is not a worry the Marriot is really nice and has a surf spot right in front of it. Usually it is frequented by SUPers and older people but it can break really nice and if you stayed there it would be so easy to get up early and surf that spot before the SUPers get out there. It is usually better for longboards but there can be some nice tubes there and I posted a video in the video thread that showed one of the local surfers who went pro surfing that spot on a sort of good day. A friend of mine also does surf lessons there.

My skill level is pretty much "beginner". I'am working on the skill to stand up and balance the board. The boards I used before were long foam boards for beginners. The price is a bit a worry, because I'll be staying for 1 month in Kauai. So, are there any places on Kauai with surf spots for non-pros? Can you send me the homepage of you friend who does surf lessons?

[surf patrol]

Quick thanks to for the Kauai surf map update.

[oldmansurfer]

To be fair I will include lots of friend surf school links. And by friends I mean guys I shared the ocean with and knew from high school
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Surfing-Kauai/118940744873601?sk=wall&filter=12 or http://kauailearn2surf.com/index.html I have another friend sort of who does lessons there and his name is Sol Fernandez but I can't find a link for him and haven't seen him in years.
These two guys work off the North Shore. Both friends (but not with each other)
http://www.hawaiiansurfingadventures.com/
http://www.hawaiianschoolofsurfing.com/
There are lots of surf schools and I really don't know the pluses or minuses of each of them, just I grew up with these guys and they should do well for beginners or even more advanced surfers. There are surf schools offered by many really great surfers who I don't know. I have never taken any surf lessons unless you want to count someone pushing me into a couple waves on a board that I could stand on with out riding a wave when I was 9 years old. But these guys have been doing instruction for a long time. I have a real tight schedule but if you want to surf with me a bit we could get in touch while you are here (I am not much of a surf instructor.) PM me if you wish to.

[oldmansurfer]

The thing about Kauai is that lots break can be a pro spot or a beginner spot depending on the surf. Right now Hanalei is flat and there are just ripple lapping on the shoreline and sailboats anchored all over but in the winter the waves can come up on the shore sweep you off your feet and out to sea. If there is a swell Hanalei in the summer time can be really good for beginners. Kalapaki is usually small and crumbly waves perfect for a beginner too but once in a while it can be really good and rarely huge and dangerous. The south side of the island can have huge waves in the summer but mostly it is smaller. The west and east sides usually have some waves all year around but not too good but once in awhile they can get really good and huge too. So it depends on where the storms are that are generating surf if there are any and if not then the east side has a wind swell due to tradewinds most of the time.

[scsurf]

well, how goes it?

[oldmansurfer]

For those interested I found what is likely cheaper accomidations for a surfer(s) here. It's a yurt I have a link if it is allowed

[billie_morini]

Here are some surf break tips for Los Angeles
1. Leo Carrillo State Park in Malibu, CA. This break is 42 miles northwest of LAX
2. 2nd & 3rd Point at Surfrider Beach State Park in Malibu, CA. This break is 27 miles northwest of LAX and was featured in many early surf movies!
3. Chevron Reef on Highway 1. This break is about 4 miles south of LAX. You'll know you are there when you see the giant Chevron facility on land and the giant sewer line from LAX (e.g., xxxxx Pipe) from the water
4. Huntington Beach Pier. This break is about 38 miles south of LAX and is located in the heart of Surf City USA!

There are many breaks in LA, but the water is dirty and the surfers do not share well. This is why I suggested locations 1, 2, and 4 above. The water is pretty clean at these breaks. Yeah, the surfers can suck at Huntington Beach pier. But, how often do you get to surf in Surf City USA? In addition, you'll get a big charge out of being able to walk from the surf break, to the pier, to the two largest surf stores you've ever seen, the cool surfing museum, and get a meal at the fabled Sugar Shack cafe owned by surfer / film maker Tim Turner.

I mention Leo Carrillo State Park also because it almost always has surf. You won't see much surf in LA proper in August. That's another reason you'll want to try the breaks I've told you about.

[georgepal]

@oldmansurfer In terms of swell conditions is there any difference between Kauai, Oahu or Maui during August September or is it all there same? (Except the jaws of course )

[oldmansurfer]

Sorry didn't see this. Yeah there are differences in all those places. For big winter surf you can't beat Oahu. There are a number of classic big surf spots for instance Waimea bay, Pipeline, Sunset which aren't duplicated on the other islands however they each have their own surf spots on the north sides which get surf in the winter. I have really only surfed Kauai and Oahu so couldn't tell you much about the other islands but I know they have their won spots. There are also difference due to the other islands blocking swells so for instance on the east side of Kauai where I am lots of east swells are blocked by Oahu so Oahu will have a big east swell but not Kauai because it is in the shadow of Oahu. The west side of Oahu is blocked by Kauai also. If you look at a map you can figure out all this stuff.

[oldmansurfer]

Right now it's hurricane season with south and west and east shores (but not east on Kauai) getting a lot of swells but there are some north swells too