Surfing stopovers

[oldozsurfer]

I will be stopping over in Hawaii (from Australia) for a couple of days in April 2007 and want to do some surfing without breaking the bank. I ride a 9ft Malibu and am currently recovering from a broken foot so will not be heading to north shore

Any advice of places to stay, surf hire boards, etc.

On the way back from NY I will be stopping over in LA in late April and am a bit overwhelmed about the choice of surf spots etc

Should I go up to Malibu and Santa Barbara or down to Huntington beach which place is likely to provide a surf as well as crowds that are reasonably mellow

Where is the best places to stay and mals for hire

Any advice would be great