Oregon - North / Central California September

[Soulmancer]

Thinking about doing a road trip from Seaside down as far as Ventura; stopping at breaks along the way, camping, touring. Is that a good time of year? Are sharks in abundance that time of year?

[BoMan]

IMHO October is a better month to go. Smaller lineups, bigger waves and the weather is still good. Here are a few sites to get you started.

Sharks
http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com/pacific_coast_shark_news.htm

Surf Forecast (click Date Range for the state chart then Spots for specific reports)
http://magicseaweed.com/California-Surf-Chart/12/

Pollution/Bacteria
http://www.surfrider.org/blue-water-task-force

[billie_morini]

soul,
you'll find surf in September all the way down to Santa Cruz in Septmber. But, Winter is surf season in CA. You may or may not find surf in Central Coast ( Santa Barbara and Ventura) in September. Ditto in October. The Central Coast begins to receive surf in November. So, if you can only make your trip in September, spend more time between Humboldt and Santa Cruz counties and maybe not even come to Central Coast.

[Soulmancer]

Ok thanks, I guess that coast line is more dependent on the larger west swells due to the channel islands? Would San Luis / Big Sur coast be worth checking out as well?

[billie_morini]

Ok thanks, I guess that coast line is more dependent on the larger west swells due to the channel islands? Would San Luis / Big Sur coast be worth checking out as well?

Soulmancer, that's right. The Channel Islands block swell coming directly to Santa BArbara County from the west. It effects VEntura county, too, but not as much. Many guys in Fall and Spring will drive religiously from SB to VENT to surf on Saturdays. But, it's only truly good in Winter. Sometimes when it's dead here, I'll make long drives for a little bit of surf at Pismo Beach in San Luis Obispo County (SLO). SLO isn't really great. However, Morro Bay can be good when the rest going south isn't. Cuyucos can be okay in Spring. But, your best bet is to stay north of Monetery in Sept and Oct. Unless, you also enjoy the geography south of there. Just know, you may or may not find surfable waves.
billie

[Soulmancer]

Thanks.

I've never been to California before; surfing is certainly the priority as I'd like to be in the water almost every day... I drove down the Washington coast in it's entirety and Oregon as far as Oswald Park / Smugglers Cove ... I'd like to continue the trip from where I left off...

On my list of news areas to check out were...

-Oceanside
-Pacific City
-Lincon City
-Otter Rock
-Newport
-Coos Bay
-Port Orford
-Crescent City
-Shelter Cove
-Santa Cruz
-Monterey
-San Luis / Big Sur
-Santa Barbara

This may be ambitious for two weeks though. If I allocate more time elsewhere and skip Santa Barbara, where should I spend additional time aside from Santa Cruz / Monterey. Fun surf, parks/wilderness and good food is the goal; I'll mostly sleep in the back of my SUV at campgrounds or parking lots. Where would you skip vs spend more time? I guess weather and surf are really the determining in that!

Not a big fan of over-developed / populated cities and dirty water.

[billie_morini]

HI Soulmancer,
you've got a great list. Sometime during the next few days, I will provide more detailed answers. But first, I would like to share that Shelter Cove is a magical and dangerous place. It is magical because you must traverse rugged terrain to arrive at a remote location. It is dangerous because you never know when a rouge wave will snatch someone from a rock or beach and drag them to their death! There are too many documented accounts like this, including locals. Also know, the beach is pea gravel. If you drive on it, you may get stuck. Be smart, deflate your tires to 10 to 15 psi before going out and don't stop in the area that high tide will claim. Most commercial tow services will not rescue stuck vehicles. In the old days, there was a wonderful old local named Mr. Hendrix that occasionally filled the gap. He will be ancient or deceased by now. My wife and I enjoyed him very much. But gosh, this was 25 to 30 years ago.
billie

[billie_morini]

Soul,
I don’t know much about Oregon. But, here is a list of my favorite brew pubs, restaurants, surf shops, surf museums, and surf breaks in CA). Every place identified is a place I've been to. Therefore, they are formally approved by billie morini.

To find many good surf breaks, get this book.
Surfing California – A Complete Guide to the Best Breaks on the California Coast
Raul Guisado and Jeff Klass
A Falcon Guide

-Crescent City
SeaQuake Brewing (and restaurant)
400 Front St
Crescent City, CA

Crescent City Crab Shack
160 Anchor Way
Crescent City, CA


-Shelter Cove
Very small town. Not many restuarants. Best to bring groceries
The Fish Tank
205 Wave Drive, Suite 104
Shelter Cove, CA
(Good sandwiches and strong coffee – if still in business)

-Crescent City – Shelter Cove
About mid-way between Crescent City and Shelter cove are the two towns of Arcata and Eureka.

Here are some places to surf (often BIG & strong currents)
Humboldt Harbor
Cape Mendocino
Black Sands Beach

Here are some places to eat or drink.
Dead Reckoning Tavern
815 J St
Arcata, CA
(noisy, but fun)

Humboldt Brews (and Restaurant)
856 10th St
Arcata, CA
(Excellent)

Los Bagels Company
1061 I St
Arcata, CA

Lost Coast Brewery (and Restaurant)
1600 Sunrise Dr
Eureka, CA
(very good)

Sea Grill
102 F St
Eureka, CA

Gill’s by the Bay
77 Halibut Ave
Eureka, CA
(breakfast & lunch)

Los Bagels Company
403 2nd St
Eureka, CA

-Between Mendocino and San Francisco
Surf breaks I like:
Caspar Creek at Mendocino, CA --- (Nice and easy camp ground right across street from break)
Irish Beach south of Mendocino, CA
Black Point at Sea Ranch, CA
Salmon Creek
Anywhere in Bodega Bay, including and between Doran Beach and Dillon Beach (Bodega Bay is where soul surfer Dale Webster caught 3 waves every day for 40 years!)
Pt. Reyes National Seashore (pretty BIG!)
Bolinas Jetty and Duxbury Reef (viist the classic 2 Mile Surf Shop in Bolinas!)

-San Francisco
Ocean Beach (strong currents! Punchy waves)
Mavericks (the break is 0.25 miles off shore. Just stop to see this herald place)

-Santa Cruz
Surf breaks
Steamer’s Lane
The Hook
Paradise Cove (favorite)
26th
38th (My other favorite. If surfing 38th, you’ll see green house on cliff. That is Jack Oneil’s original house)

Capitola - These three plus a couple more make a virtual surfing paradise!
Santa Cruz Surf Museum in the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse
located on West Cliff Drive at Steamer’s the Lane
(open Thursday through Monday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., in the winter, and Wednesday through Monday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., in the summer)

O’Neill Surf Shop
1149 41st Ave.
Capitola, CA
(Jack O’Neil’s flagship surf shop - Must see. Continue down street to ocean to access these surf breaks: The Hook, Paradise Cove, and 38th - Virtual surfing paradise! 38th is my favorite Santa Cruz break. If surfing 38th, you’ll see green house on cliff. That is Jack Oneil’s original house)

Freeline Design Surfboards
821 41st Ave.
Santa Cruz
(Don Mel’s Surf shop)

Harbor Café
535 7th Avenue
(Surfers’ favorite breakfast place)

Restaurante Los Pinos
2019 M. Pacific Ave
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(good and cheap Mexican food)

Thai Orchid
2238 mission st
Santa Cruz, CA
(seafood—excellent)

-Monterey
Monterey Old town
0.5mi South of Cannery Row on paved Monterey Bay Coastal Trail
Centered on Alvarado St
• tour Robert Louis Stevenson house, 1879, authored “Treasure Island”
• Cooper Museum store sells maps to historic neighborhoods, including 25 adobes built in 1800’s + Victorian toys, 526 Polk st

Carmel Beach (simply walk out onto this sugary white sand beach. The sand scrunches under your feet. It’s all idyllic).

17 mile drive
Goes along shore and around Pebble Beach Golf course
(worth it!)

Lallapalooza
474 Alvarado st
Monterey,CA
(Upscale dinner house and lounge offering 21 martinis and four different kinds of steak)

Stokes Restaurant & Bar
500 Harthell st
Monterey, CA
Menu pays tribute to local farms and fisheries

Turtle Bay Taqueria
431 Tyler St
Monterey, CA
(Caribbean spin on Mexican food. Ex. salmon wrap = grilled fish+black beans+green-pepper slaw)

-San Luis / Big Sur
South of Big sur, surf at:
Andrew Molera
Sand Dollar Beach
Cambria
Cayucos Pier (my favorite of the 4. Just catch half dozen waves, then get smoked fish taco at shop right at the pier)

Or Eat here
SLO Brew
736 Higuera St
San Luis Obispo, CA (upper floor)

Elephant Seal Rookery
Near San Simeon, CA
(must see! Easy, too)

McWay Waterfall Trail
Trail head inside Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
(VERY Easy. Provides good leg stretch)

[Soulmancer]

Thanks for all the details.

Is Mattole Road in Northern California along the lost coast worth the detour for scenery and surf?

I certainly plan to spend 1/3 of my time "prolly 5 days" around Santa Cruz / Monterey and probably the rest exploring north and the south... but surf conditions will play a big factor how long I spend at the other places.

[billie_morini]

That's a great idea! You didn't know this, but when I lived in NorCAL, I road motorcycles on this road and others like it. The road you inquired about is phenomenal. You'll see different types of forests (giant redwoods, too), many ocean views, and more. Another one to consider based on when you are coming, going, and surf conditions is Skaggs Spring Rd. The coastal end is at Stewarts Point. YOu can take this road to Healdsburg. Rather than getting straight onto US 101, go south on Dry Creek Rd. This road will not disappoint, either. However, it offers less ocean views and much more in the way of forests and lakes. IF you get this far east and there is no surf to return to, then go a little further east to The Old Faithful Geyser of California located at 1299 Tubbs Ln, Calistoga, CA. It blows every 30 minutes. It's in Napa wine country, so you can drink a glass or bottle while waiting those 30 minutes.

[kaseastudiospnwsurfing]

I live in the Northwest and I can tell you that anytime of the year can be a good time! There may be more people in the summer but I've surfed year round for years and you will probably not find the crowds a problem. Sharks are not a problem in Oregon or Washington despite what people may tell you. I was in the water when a shark attacked a guy but that was once in the last 7 years ive been in the NW. It will be bigger in the wintertime and generally smaller in the summer. Check out Pacific city on your way down from seaside. It can be a great place to surf/camping/beer. Otter Rock /Agate Beach in Newport. If you catch the rite conditions check out Winchester bay for a powerful right-hander. Lots of spots that are rarely surfed down the coast with no names so keep a lookout. Check out my PNW surf channel to get a feel for the NW:

[1Skeleton]

I like the surf in September. Less wind then alot of months and warm days. Kids are back in school so crowd factor is down.There are so many places to surf between Half Moon Bay (where I grew up) and Santa Cruz. About 80% of them you can see from the highway so take your time. Once you get to Santa Cruz the spots are pretty well known and more crowed. It's a bummer for you but highway 1 is closed south of Monterrey and probably won't be open for your trip so you will miss out on a spectacular drive and some good surf in that area. You can pick up the highway again in Cambria. Good summer and fall surf in that area and again you can see most places from the highway. Pretty good surf between Cambria and Montana de Oro State Park. After that the road goes inland and comes back out at Pismo (where I live now). Pismo is not that great that time of year. I usually surf between Montana de Oro and Cambria in the the summer or go down to Main Steet Beach, Surf Beach or Jalalma Beach to the south. Not much surf in the summer between Jalama and Ventura because of the Channel Islands unlees you can get onto the Ranch or get a boat out to the Islands. Hope that helps. Have a great trip.

[Soulmancer]

I likely have to move the dates until October. I feel like for those fully exposed westcoast breaks the larger swells would make a number of breaks un-surfable or is that not a concern? I notice in BC, Washington and Oregon a lot of the big exposed breaks pretty much become a white wash machine over 6ft

[Soulmancer]

If I only went as far south as the Shelter Cove area would I be cheating myself? It seems the drive to Santa Cruz is at least another 6 hours+ which I'd have to drive back from on my way home..