Santa Cruz Good Times

Tuesday
May 21st
Text size
  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size

Surf Spots & Schools in Santa Cruz County

Friday, 18 November 2011 00:00 GTWebmaster Santa Cruz - Area Guide
 E-mail

surfing-pointSanta Cruz is one of the world's finest surfing areas.
Here's the Good Times guide to surfing & surf training.
Capitola Jetty , The Hook , Manresa/La Selva
Privates , Pleasure Point
Cowell , Steamer Lane , Natural Bridges
Three Mile , Scott’s Creek , Waddell Creek , Four Mile
See reviews of all by area

 

 

.

SOUTH COUNTY

Capitola Jetty
When the swell is up, this spot deserves more than a passing look. A nice left careens in front of the jetty and to the right can go on forever, assuming your skag doesn’t hit the kelp-infested water. Also, about a block and a reef away is the infamous Toe’s Over, which needs a huge winter swell and a minus low tide to break.

The Hook
Named for the copious amounts of kelp in the lineup that “hooks” around skags and booties, this nice little point break also has a lot of surfers that are “hooked” to the spot.

Manresa/La Selva
Manresa is a mélange of peaks, valleys and sandbars. But a lot of the time the place is epic, breaking left and right and all over. Expect a long, grueling paddle during the wintertime to the outside.

Privates
Longboard paradise. Clean right-facing lines peel off and make for a great ride that will take you all the way into the break known as Trees, and into the Capitola Wharf area.

Pleasure Point
Like its moniker, this place pleasures just about everyone. As a result, it’s generally crowded with everyone from groms to experts, longboarders to ripping ultra thin-glassed rippers.

SANTA CRUZ AREA

Cowell
Everyone’s got to start somewhere, and this place is it. The bunny slope of surfing gets its fair share of beginners but it also has nice sloping waves that go on forever. Easy access and easy attitudes give Cowell a ride that, once mastered, leads to many more beautiful things.

Steamer Lane
One of the best classic breaks in the world, Steamer Lane more than lives up to its reputation. With four reef breaks rolled into one spot—The Point, Middle Peak, The Slot and Indicators—the Lane, as it’s affectionately called, has it all. There’s even a surfing museum in the lighthouse.

Natural Bridges
The best tube rides available anywhere when the conditions are just right. It’s a speedy right that peaks over an outer reef and peels toward the beach. There are always the butterflies in the park above the break, if you miss the surf.

 

Surfer_tube

 

NORTH COUNTY
Three Mile
Primo reef break that is usually uncrowded (until now), especially during the weekdays. Three Mile, as with most North Coast spots south of Davenport, includes a long walk through Brussels sprouts fields.

Scott’s Creek
Scott’s dishes out about every challenge a surfer can handle when it gets pumping. From long paddles and strong currents/rips to sharky waters and unpredictable peaks, Scott’s isn’t for the faint of heart or arms. But when it goes off, it’s heaven on water.

Waddell Creek
Similar conditions for Waddell Creek as for Scott’s, except during the summer and early fall when Waddell is one of the world’s premier wind and kite surfing spots. Catch this right-breaking break early in the morning or keep on driving when it’s blown out.

Four Mile
This one is much more popular with a local contingent that tends to stare hard and long at newcomers. Because
of its bluff protected location, Four Mile isn’t aff ected (as much) by the inevitable afternoon summer winds
as most spots on the North Coast. Reaches its full potential during west, northwest 10-foot and above.

 

surf_girlz

Surf Schools/Rentals/Stores

Adventure Out 800-509-3954 or adventureout.com An impressive entity run by a local who just loves the outdoors and wants people to catch the vibe. Check out the many surf clinics but take note of other standouts—mountain biking, backpacking and rock-climbing.

Club Ed Surf School and Rentals, Inc. Call 831-464-0177 or visit club-ed.com Great for locals and visitors. Located at Cowell Beach between the Wharf and the Dream Inn. Open during the summer 8am to 5pm.

Cowell’s Beach ’n’ Bikini Surf Shop 30 Front St., Santa Cruz, 831-427-2355, cowellssurfshop.com Surf lessons, rentals and close to the best beginner break in the area.

Freeline Surfshop 821 41st AVE., SANTA CRUZ, 831-476-2950,  freelinesurf.com Surfboard rentals and more – everything from foam or soft-top boards and fins, flippers, wetsuits and even stand-up paddle boards. All at reasonable prices.

O’Neill Surf Shop 1115 41st Ave., Santa Cruz; 110 Cooper St., Santa Cruz; 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz; 831-475-7500, oneill.com Jack O’Neill is well known locally, and internationally. His three local shops are the perfect spot to acquire all you need for your surfing experience. With three great locations, there’s plenty to choose from here—great clothing options and more. Don’t miss this local treasure.

Richard Schmidt Surf School, Inc. Call 831-423-0928, richardschmidt.com If you want to surf with the best, then Richard Schmidt is your man. He’s world-famous for tackling some of the biggest waves ever ridden.

 

 

Comments (3)Add Comment
Operation Comfort
written by Janis Roznowski, March 01, 2013
Richard Schmidt Surf School is the best and I vote for it! Awesome experience every time we take the wounded guys to Santa Cruz for surfing. Richard Schmidt Surf School has always done an outstanding job teaching our Wounded Veterans how to surf.

I cannot find where I can vote so please pass this on to the balloting committee!

janis Roznowski
...
written by Hey Beavis check it out, November 18, 2011
Uh...the two pics you guys used on the surf spot aren't in Santa Cruz...looks like Rincon in Santa Barbara and somewhere warm like, Oahu.
...
written by Vinnie, November 18, 2011
Notice the picture is an old one of Rincon, 250 miles from Santa Cruz.

Write comment
smaller | bigger

busy
< Prev   Next >
 

Share this on your social networks

Bookmark and Share

Share this

Bookmark and Share

  • Search

    •  

    Bring Your Own Bag

    Single-use plastic bag bans are underway Shoppers in Capitola, Watsonville, the City of Santa Cruz, and the unincorporated parts of the county are, by now, becoming accustomed to the absence of plastic bags. On Sept. 20, 2011, Santa Cruz County became the first local jurisdiction to pass an ordinance that banned single-use plastic bags and implemented a fee for paper bags, which took effect last spring. Watsonville, Capitola, and Santa Cruz followed suit with similar actions: Watsonville’s ordinance went into effect last September, and, as of last month, the bans in Capitola and the City of Santa Cruz are now in place.

     

    The Maya-Ixil Move Forward

    Local nonprofit works to educate and create opportunity for indigenous communities in Guatemala In an isolated region of the Guatemala mountains called Ixil, the indigenous Maya population was devastated by a civil war between the government and leftist guerrilla factions that spanned 1960 to 1996. During that 36-year war, the Guatemalan military eradicated entire Mayan communities. In what amounted to genocide, soldiers burned Mayan farmlands and homes, raped and tortured the people, and scattered families. By the end of the war, 200,000 Mayans had been killed, 7,000 of whom were Maya-Ixil.

     

    Public Thinking

    Watsonville teens host TEDx event Santa Cruz County is no stranger to the TED brand. TED—which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design—talks have come to the area through independently organized events 10 times since 2011. This month, the gathering returns to the county with a new twist, thanks to the Watsonville Youth City Council. TEDxYouth@Watsonville, which will take place Sunday, May 19 at the Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts in Watsonville, will feature only speakers younger than 19 years old and will traverse topics from racial stereotypes and renewable energy to traditional Mexican dance.

     

    The Tilt

    Although Jesse Malley, lead singer of the outlaw country, blues and rock ’n’ roll band The Tilt, no longer lives in Santa Cruz, she was born and raised here and this is where her love of music and performance began. “My dad worked at The Catalyst for 27 years, so I got to see a lot of music acts come through town,” she says. “Music always seemed to me to be such an incredible way to express yourself that I just stumbled upon my voice and jumped into it.” That jump eventually led to Malley heading down to San Diego to pursue a music career, and her band The Tilt has just released their full-length debut, Howlin’.

     

    Whole Lotta Blues

    The 11-piece, husband-and-wife-led Tedeschi Trucks Band headlines the Santa Cruz Blues Festival Guitarist Derek Trucks and vocalist/guitarist Susan Tedeschi, the husband-and-wife team at the helm of The Tedeschi Trucks Band, have learned that in a band as well as in a marriage, the best way to keep things running smoothly is sometimes to take a step back. That’s especially true when you’re dealing with an 11-piece group that, in addition to its namesakes, features two drummers, a keyboardist/flautist, a three-piece horn section and two harmony vocalists.

     

    Beck to the Future

    In celebration of Beck’s solo acoustic show at The Rio, GT explores Song Reader, the alternative rock icon’s most ambitious interactive art piece yet. Here’s an odd little paradox of the digital revolution: The more sophisticated our technology gets, the more our musical milieu begins to resemble that of a bygone era, when song ideas were passed around from musician to musician, perpetually taking on new twists. Dozens of different YouTube users might try their hand at setting somebody’s rant about cats or double rainbows to music, or you might hear the Belgian musician Gotye turning the many and varied covers of his song “Somebody That I Used to Know” into a virtual orchestra (see below).

     

    Land of Lions

    New research provides foundation to look at protecting mountain lions, particularly when it comes to Highway 17 An adult male mountain lion called simply “Number 16” by the Santa Cruz Puma Project led a scientifically interesting life for the more than two-year period he was tracked by the UC Santa Cruz-based research project. According to Chris Wilmers, associate professor of environmental studies at UCSC and head of the Puma Project, the group initially caught and collared Number 16 in Loch Lomond. He then proceeded to cross Highway 17 several times, where he was eventually was hit, but survived. In an unusual move for an adult male, Number 16 then shifted his home range to the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. Recently, the lion’s tracking collar went on “mortality mode.” The day before Wilmers spoke to Good Times, the researchers found his skeleton.

     

    So Sleep (Pralaya) Does Not Overtake Us

    Sunday is Pentecost, a festival of the Holy Spirit (Ray 3 of Divine Intelligence). Pentecost is the name given to the descent of the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire appearing above the heads of Christ’s (Piscean World Teacher) Disciples (students) in an upper room (plane of the Mind). Pentecost is not a simple bible story. It’s an actual experience for each individual as the Light of the Soul begins to direct the personality with spiritual gifts and virtues – wisdom, understanding (all ideas, all hearts), knowledge and Right Judgment (directing the intellect), wonder, fortitude/courage and respect/reverence (directing our willingness to serve).

     

    Legal Battles Drag On

    More than a year after the 75 River St. occupation, four defendants remain embroiled in ongoing case  More than a year and a half since a group occupied the former Wells Fargo building on River Street in an act of protest, felony charges linger on for four of the original defendants and a trial may be imminent. Gabriella Ripley-Phipps, Brent Adams, Cameron Laurendeau and Franklin Alcantara were scheduled to begin trial May 13 in connection with the late 2011 protest. That trial now has been pushed back to September due to scheduling conflicts. The four face a felony charge of vandalism and a misdemeanor for trespassing.

     

    Bringing the Message Home

    Former mayor and UCSC student recap their experiences at the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women While traveling to New York for the 57th United Nations (UN) Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), seasoned local activist Jane Weed-Pomerantz had a notion of what to expect. But, with the vast scope of worldwide women’s rights violations presented at the commission, she knew she would still be taken aback at times. “I was worried because I had a feeling I would be finding out what I did find out about women and girls in the world,” says Weed-Pomerantz. “I was trying to brace myself for the knowledge of the reality, because we are really very protected in this country.”
    GTemail_tileTomorow's GTW Today.
    Sign up for Tomorrow's Good Times Today
    Upcoming arts & events

    Latest Comments

     

    May Day in the Alps

    When my daughter returns to Santa Cruz from her new home in Los Angeles, she comments on how quiet it is here. It was even more so during a trip to Ben Lomond, when we set out for a sample of her second favorite macaroni and cheese. Sitting at the front of the Tyrolean Inn restaurant, the green tarp with plastic windows kept out the chill as well as the noise of an occasional passing car. A new draft beer celebrating the German spring, Maibok ($6) was refreshing, served in a hefty glass stein, but specialty cocktails are unique as well.

     

    The Power of Conversation

    Local author Cecile Andrews emphasizes importance of community engagement in newest book Cecile Andrews, author of the new book “Living Room Revolution: A Handbook for Conversation, Community and the Common Good,” probably wouldn’t get along too well with Larry David’s character from HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, known for hiding his face and avoiding communication with anyone he runs into on the street. Andrews is a longstanding part-time Santa Cruz (part-time Seattle) resident who says something that’s struck her about this town over the years is people's willingness to participate in a practice she’s dubbed the “Stop and Chat”—which is exactly what it sounds like.

     

    What are you a total sucker for?

    A cold beer after a long bike ride, gossip, and fighting over politics. Kyle McKinley Santa Cruz | Lecturer

     

    Best of Santa Cruz County

    The 2013 Santa Cruz County Readers' Poll and Critics’ Picks It’s our biggest issue of the year, and in it, your votes—more than 6,500 of them—determined the winners of The Best of Santa Cruz County Readers’ Poll. New to the long list of local restaurants, shops and other notables that captured your interest: Best Beer Selection, Best Locally Owned Business, Best Customer Service and Best Marijuana Dispensary. In the meantime, many readers were ever so chatty online about potential new categories. Some of the suggestions that stood out: Best Teen Program and Best Web Design/Designer. But what about: Dog Park, Church, Hotel, Local Farm, Therapist (I second that!) or Sports Bar—not to be confused with Bra. Our favorite suggestion: Best Act of Kindness—one reader noted Café Gratitude and the free meals it offered to the Santa Cruz Police Department in the aftermath of recent crimes. Perhaps some of these can be woven into next year’s ballot, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy the following pages and take note of our Critics’ Picks, too, beginning on page 91. A big thanks for voting—and for reading—and an even bigger congratulations to all of the winners. Enjoy.  -Greg Archer, EditorBest of Santa Cruz County Readers’ Poll INDEX | Shops | Food & Drink | Arts & Entertainment | Health & Fitness | Professionals | The Rest |

     

    Vine & Dine: Pine Ridge Vineyards

    Chenin Blanc + Viognier 2012 On a recent trip to Palm Springs, I came across Pine Ridge Vineyards’ Chenin Blanc + Viognier at a new downtown restaurant called Lulu. Superbly decorated in Hollywood-esque style and with a very hip vibe, this California bistro is one of the hottest new dining spots—and the Chenin Blanc was just the right wine to pair with some of Lulu’s Happy Hour tapas-style food. And eating outdoors in the desert’s warm night air makes a chilled white wine taste even better.

     

    Making Sense of Soul

    Allen Stone wants to give R&B back some of its depth Whether fairly or unfairly, R&B and soul music often get typecast. Much of the music is groove-inducing and has an overtly romantic, sensual or sexual side to it, and the suggestive lyrics only reinforce this mood. That is fine and well, but for R&B and soul singer Allen Stone, it is not enough. “I love music that’s about love, and I love R&B songs, but I also like songs that have influence on culture,” Stone says. "I believe that if you’re given a microphone you need to use it in a positive way, and I feel like pop culture, more often than not, doesn’t. I think that [pop stars] are very bad stewards of the microphone they’ve been given, and the voices they’ve been given, and they tend to talk about pretty futile and shallow things, rather than subjects which uplift the children in our culture, or the teenage culture, or the young adult generation. If you’re given a microphone, you should say something that’s deeper than, ‘I’m going to the club and I’m going to drink cognac.’”

     

    Step on up to the Bar

    Here in Santa Cruz County, we are privileged to have farm-fresh greens year-round. Making a nightly salad at home is a snap since the emergence of pre-washed greens, and vinaigrette dressing is made easily with your favorite vinegar and small spoon of Dijon mustard whisked with a bit of olive oil.

     

    Exposed

    David Cay Johnston’s new book explains how big companies rob us blind In his late teens David Cay Johnston started to ask questions. “Why do we have these guys in uniforms with guns driving around in cars all day?” “Why is the Santa Cruz County Courthouse being built in such an unusual shape?” He wrote an article, while still living in his hometown of Santa Cruz, proving that the off-kilter courthouse building, which officials had promised would save money, actually cost more than a conventional building.

     

    Do you unplug often enough? Or do you need help?

    Santa Cruz | Caregiver