Surfing
Surfing
12 best surfing spots in California
Keen to surf? You've come to the right place. From perfect points and piers to open ocean behemoths, beastly beach breaks, and much more, the Golden State sure lives up to its name.
While California is the U.S.’s third largest state, it boasts the country's largest population and, until wetsuit technology improves and Alaska enters the conversation, the longest surfable coastline. It's fair to say that wherever Pacific waves break on the west coast, someone has tried to surf them.
Kai Lenny, the son of California transplants, is one of those surfers who heard the waves call his name.
“Anything that involves the ocean, I’m game!” says Lenny.
Californian surfing is so much more than The Beach Boys, Dick Dale, and whatever Hollywood expects you to believe. It’s probably best to turn onto Highway 1 and discover the real spirit of California's saltwater people.
In no particular order, here are 12 waves from SoCal to NorCal. Grab a surfboard and get ready to hit the road to explore some of the best places to surf in California.
01
Cortes Bank
18 min
Twenty Foot Plus: North Pacific
The world’s best big wave surfers chase a cool new swell from Waimea to Jaws, Cortes Bank to Todos Santos.
Technically, Cortes Bank isn't on the Californian coast — it’s around 120 miles west of San Diego in the Pacific Ocean. The open ocean reef that rains salty skyscrapers onto surfing’s bravest boardriders is as great a place as any to experience the variety of ocean offerings available in the Golden State. Widely seen as the final frontier in big wave surfing, Cortes Bank is strictly for elite water people with support crews, boats, PWCs, and first responders with helicopters on standby.
Once upon a time, the bank was an island. It's now submerged by a couple of meters. With the surrounding seafloor some 1,800 meters below the surface, though, it doesn't take much for inbound swells to suddenly lurch to life and rear up viciously over the shallow reef below.
Justine Dupont's career session, 100 miles off the coast of California
© Frank Quirarte/Red Bull Content Pool
Lucas Chianca going big and fast
© Frank Quirarte/Red Bull Content Pool
Izzi Gomez surfs a huge wave at Cortes Bank, California
© Frank Quirarte / Red Bull Content Pool
Is this where the world will see the first 100-foot wave – big wave surfing's holy grail – ridden successfully? A hardcore gang of devotees including Izzi Gomez, Justine Dupont and Lucas Chianca, who last tackled big Cortes Bank in early 2023, sure think so.
02
San Onofre State Beach
From the craziest wave in California to the cruisiest, welcome to San Onofre State Beach in North County San Diego.
SanO might be home to the most clichéd surfing scene in California, but in no way is that a bad thing. A warm, fuzzy throwback to the good old days, this is a beach to hang with friends as much as it is a place to hang ten, which is saying a lot as it is heaven for longboarders.
Local lord Kolohe Andino, happy to go slow at SanO
© Jose Mandojana/The Red Bulletin
While SanO gets waves year round, its four breaks — The Point, Four Doors, Old Man’s, and Dogpatch — work best on southern summer swells. That's when the beach really comes into its own, too, with classic cars and campervans emptying a cross-section of surfing citizens from all eras and demographics onto the sand.
The beach's surfing roots go back to the 1920s when a surfing and fishing camp was in place before the local military base Camp Pendleton was established. These days, San Onofre is a place for families, hippies, hipsters, and wily old salt dogs to roll up and slow their life down.
03
Lower Trestles
San Clemente may bring homegrown talent like Griffin Colapinto and Kolohe Andino, recent imports like Caroline Marks, a bottomless pool of talent, surfing's favorite skatepark, and home of the WSL Finals, Lower Trestles, to mind.
4 min
Down The Line – Griffin Colapinto
Griffin Colapinto talks us through four minutes of firing waves, at home in California.
It was at Lowers in 2023 that Marks won her first world title, a feat she backed up a short time later with an Olympic gold in Paris, much the same as Carissa Moore did before her in 2021.
Lowers is a perfect cobblestone peak that runs for 100 meters in each direction, with enough juice to lay a board solidly on rail and enough coping to take to the sky. From Kelly Slater to Mick Fanning, Jordy Smith to Taj Burrow, and from Lisa Andersen to Stephanie Gilmore, Moore and Marks, Lowers is where surfing's envelope pushers stand up to be counted.
8 min
Homegrown with Kolohe Andino
A dream surf trip, an injury, a baby due and competing in Tokyo. It's been quite a year for Kolohe Andino.
Will Colapinto do enough to take out a first-place world title in the future here? Is Caroline Marks going back-to-back, or can Caity Simmers or Molly Picklum claim the crown? The Championship Tour is getting down to business, be sure to tune into the WSL and follow along with all of the action. Then, sneak out and catch a couple of waves.
04
Newport Beach
Newport Beach in Orange County is known for its celebrity residents and upscale lifestyle. This town also offers waves for miles when summer's big south swells kick into gear and the hurricanes roar to life.
Hurricane Marie dances in Newport
© Peter Taras
Oh Marie!
© Peter Taras
54th Street for the win
© Peter Taras
Ian Crane, up and over in Orange County
© Peter Taras
Chasing a quick wiggle? Paddle out at 56th Street or the River Jetties. Want to push the limits? Saddle up at the bucking bronco beach break, the world-famous Wedge.
Chasing waves? A southwest swell and a northeast offshore wind are good friends. Need gear? Then head to one of America's truly iconic surf shops, The Froghouse, to stock up. How good!
9 min
Wedge life
In California, Jamie O’Brien and the crew enjoy surf and skate shenanigans with Ryan Sheckler and Zion Wright.
05
Huntington Beach
Known as Surf City USA, Huntington Beach is a drawcard for tourists and surfers alike, with great waves breaking beneath the iconic pier and summer south swells slamming into the bustling beachfront.
Huntington Beach lighting up on a south swell
© Jimmy Wilson
A hotbed of talent, notable Huntington surfers include innovators David Nuuhiwa and Herbie Fletcher, legendary surfing explorers Timmy and Ryan Turner, and longtime elite competitors like Timmy Reyes and Brett Simpson.
Brett Simpson, out in LA
© Pat Stacy
The Vans US Open of Surfing is a long running, nine-day surfing competition-meets-festival that draws hundreds of the world's best to Orange County every August to try and knock off local heroes like Kanoa Igarashi and Courtney Conlogue, who've both won their hometown event twice.
11 min
Play and practice
Jump into the action of day one of the US Open in California with surfer Kanoa Igarashi.
Ironically, August is a traditionally poor month for waves and the event has become synonymous with the Huntington Hop, as competitors skate their way from the powerful waves breaking out the back, across dead water to finish their rides on the beach.
Hometown hero Kanoa Igarashi paddles out through surfing's most famed pier
© Jimmy Wilson
Kanoa Igarashi has his hometown ramp locked down
© Jimmy Wilson
The US Open beach scene is like nothing else in surfing
© Jimmy Wilson
Huntington Beach lighting up on a south swell
© Jimmy Wilson
For those sampling the waves, the pier helps build up sandbanks that provide plenty of variety on both sides, across the different swells that blast the beach. Some of the regulars are strictly southside surfers, some won't leave the north, but generally, they're both dependable options year-round — and non-locals aren't going to be more or less welcome on either side of Huntington's most famous structure.
06
Malibu
Home of First, Second and Third Points, Malibu is known more as a surf town than a place to go surfing, but you still should try and get amongst the crowds and chaos of the legendary rolling righthander, or at least hit Zuma Beach next door.
Surfed since the '30s, made famous by Miki Dora in the '60s and these days home to the rich and famous, as well as a few surfers who've snuck in (Laird Hamilton and Steph Gilmore take a bow), there's still no doubting the appeal of the wave and the culture that surrounds it.
Young Ian Walsh pushing the limits at Malibu
© Erik Aeder/Red Bull Content Pool
Put in enough time in the water and surfers will find pockets of pumping waves and windows without too many humans gridlocking surfing's version of the 405 Highway. These are glimpses that showcase what the fuss has been about all along.
07
Rincon
Nestled between Ventura and Santa Barbara County, Rincon Point is a classic wave — arguably the best in the U.S. — that should be on every natural-footer's bucket list. The 'Queen Of The Coast' was even name-dropped in The Beach Boys’ 1962 classic song "Surfin' Safari."
Rincon, beauty from afar
© Surfing/Jimmicane
Santa Barbara breeds talented surfers who like to live life on their own terms. Three-time world champion Tom Curren honed his silky style drawing unique lines all over Rincon canvases. Explosive goofy footer Bobby Martinez owes his trademark powerful hook to growing up with his back against the wall. Coffin brothers Conner (natural) and Parker (goofy) have both Rincon and their two heroes to thank for the original and stylish way that they both ply their trade.
Channel Islands Surfboards, found beneath the feet of many an iconic surfer, are still manufactured in a factory by the beach in Santa Barbara and every American world champion, from Curren to Slater to Andersen has won trophies with the hallowed Hex logo beneath their feet.
As for the wave itself? Rincon is made up of three different sections that link up a handful of times a year on big swells. The 75-meter-long Indicator kicks off the show, a big powerful wall that eventually runs into The Rivermouth, which is the easiest to access and usually the most crowded zone. Hee, surfers will come across well-formed waves and the opportunity for long rides. Beyond this sits the Cove, the least challenging section and a haven for longboarders — most of the time, anyway.
08
Steamer Lane
Santa Cruz is as hardcore as Californian surf towns get, and Steamer Lane is its roughest and toughest venue. Cold, unforgiving, breaking at the base of a cliff with a large gallery usually camped out above and overrun by a crowd of testy saltdogs who won’t give up an inch, surfers need to have their wits about them when they paddle out at the Lane. The rewards are worth it, though.
The Lineup
© Jimmicane
Steamer Lane, so legend goes, was named after the waves that broke whenever big steamships passed by en route to the local wharf in the 1930s. Though the steamers are long gone, surfer numbers are greater than ever, thanks in no small part to a local surfer named Jack O'Neill, who pioneered the modern wetsuit and built an eponymous and highly successful brand in the process.
Taj Burrow won by surfing on the rail.
© Jimmicane
Did we mention Santa Cruz's surfing magician, Zoltan Torkos? We did, now you need to go check him out.
Steamer Lane is divided into four zones for experienced surfers: Indicators, The Slot (at the base of the cliffs), Middle Peak, a left and right and the pick of the bunch on its day, and The Point. The long-running annual O'Neill Coldwater Classic is usually contested at Middle Peak. In 2016 it was upgraded to the Championship Tour for one year only and was won by West Australian legend Taj Burrow.
Whether heading to Steamer Lane for the winter or getting a piece of summer's south swells, surfers are destined for a great time, and there are plenty of other waves in town as well.
Steamer Lane
© Lisa Herrick on Unsplash
09
Maverick's
For those looking for Northern California's biggest waves, head about 25 miles south of San Francisco to Half Moon Bay, home of Maverick's and magnet to big wave studs like Ian Walsh and Kai Lenny.
17 min
Day of days
Kai, Ridge and Ian Walsh fly to Mavericks in California for what's being hailed as the swell of the decade.
Big-wave surfer Jeff Clark is famous for surfing Maverick's long before it gained popularity in the '90s. The wave itself is named after his dog, who used to swim out to the lineup whenever his owner paddled out for a surf.
9 min
Mavericks host the world's best big wave surfers
After years of quiet, California's Mavericks unleashes huge waves for the world's best big wave surfers.
In 1999, the area held its first surfing contest. To this day, Maverick's attracts surfers from all corners of the planet, with its waves reaching up to 60 feet.
Winter gives the best opportunity to paddle out at Mavs, but only do with experience, a plan, and a crew of help. Easterly offshore winds and northwest swells offer the best chance of taming a monster or two. If there are too many variables, there's no shame whatsoever in watching from a boat in the channel.
Justine Dupont started off her career week in California
© Fred Pompermayer
Kai Lenny throws himself over surfing's steepest ledge
© Fred Pompermayer
Lucas Chumbo rolling into a Mavericks monster
© Fred Pompermayer
Lucas Chumbo stalls where most would be sprint, under the Mavericks lip
© Fred Pompermayer
10
Fort Point
Surfing, San Francisco style
© Silvin Morgan/Red Bull Content Pool
San Francisco's Fort Point might just be the highest-profile underground wave in the world. Although it's broken in the shadows of the globally famous Golden Gate Bridge for years, until recently, the local crew held the fun running lefthander down tight.
25 min
Surfing San Francisco
Dive into the fray and get to meet one of surfing’s most hardcore communities.
Red Bull No Contest recently sent Jamie O'Brien and Izzi Gomez to the city by the bay to investigate the local scene and both came home raving about life in and out of the water.
Look, if eating was a sport and I lived in San Francisco, I might just quit surfing!
Anyone can find Fort Point. Though it's not the most dangerous of waves, it does pay to be cautious when paddling out there as it only breaks on big west swells and the amount of current moving around inside the bay is wild.
11
Windansea Beach, La Jolla
Originally called Neptune Beach but changed to Windansea after the neighboring eponymous hotel in the ‘20s, this surf spot is tucked away in the coastal neighborhood of La Jolla in San Diego. Windansea Beach has a storied history and remains one of Southern California’s most iconic surf spots. With its famous surf shack, built in 1947 and designated a historical landmark, Windansea draws a crowd of experienced surfers year-round.
The break is powerful, with steep take-offs and shallow reefs creating epic waves for those with skill and confidence. La Jolla was even home to Red Bull Switchboard over a decade ago, with snowboarder Denis Bonus and surfer Walsh.
Windansea’s waves work best in most swell directions, with the best wind direction coming from the east. Surfers will have the best experience on medium tides with larger breaks from the amplifying offshore canyon effects. The summer offers the largest waves, and be prepared to ride the same waves surfing legend Woody Brown first surfed.
12
Swami’s, Encinitas
Further up the coast beyond Windansea, Swami’s in Encinitas is another must-surf break, especially for those with their heart set on riding the perfect point break. Named after the nearby Self-Realization Fellowship ashram, Swami’s boasts long, peeling waves down the point on a consistent swell. The classic California waves at Swami’s draw surfers of all levels, especially for the fall and winter months.
Whether there for the surf or to admire the stunning cliffs and ocean views, Swami’s encapsulates everything that’s quintessentially Southern California. It even got a nod from the Beach Boys 1963 hit “Surfin’ USA.” Just be sure to paddle out early to snag a spot — surfers from around the world travel just for Swami’s.
Riding California’s best waves
California’s surf scene offers waves for everyone. From beginners looking to catch their first wave to pros chasing adrenaline-pumping swells, most of the best places to surf in California offer a little something for everyone. Each spot has its own appeal, from the history of Malibu, to the high-energy contests at Huntington Beach, to the feat-defying waves at Cortes Bank that’ll form stories told for years to come. Grab a board, some buddies, and head to the break.
