RealSurf Surfers' Forum

Ok cool.

Trip planning for early Sept. That was the one and only time I did a surf trip to Washington and Oregon and it worked out pretty well for me then. Not how far south I'll end up going. I just it depends on how much time I take along the way. For surfing if I'm not going to end up going as far as Santa Cruz would I be better off just spending more time in Oregon vs Northern Cali? ... If I go as far as Santa Cruz I think I'd be keen to at least go and see the Big Sur coast.

If you want to surf, think about spending more time on the Central Coast of California. Places like Santa Cruz and also down towards Big Sur can give really good waves, mainly when there is a strong west swell coming. Additionally, the rough coastal landscape of Big Sur is truly stunning to see. Regarding mountain biking, consider exploring paths near Santa Cruz or perhaps taking a side trip to Downieville in Northern California for intense downhill riding experiences.

For places that are not worth the hype, perhaps skip Malibu if your schedule is limited. It becomes very busy and to the south, you can find many other locations with fewer people for surfing. While Huntington Beach is charming in its way, it can often feel overly crowded with tourists.

When we tried to drive through Big Sur the road was out. So we got as far as the first village and had to turn back to Monterey.
Went inland which was interesting and came back to the coast at Cambria. Drove up to the Southern Extremity of Big Sur plus checked out Hearsts Castle which is a total trip. Never seen anything like it……..on a cattle ranch in particular.
Surf around Cambria is pretty average but it’s a nice little place.

The furthest south I'd consider going would be Santa Barbara. Or possibly Ventura. No desire to get any closer to LA than that.

I hoped Rincon would have been surfable when I was there. Pretty flat. Went for a walk on the beach. Luxury Houses right around…..and a very dead seal on the sand. We were staying near Sand Bar and the harbour. Venturas got heaps of point breaks.
As I said earlier you can camp right next to the water between Ventura and Rincon.