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The Best Surfing in California: 10 Must-Visit Surf Spots

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Dec 18, 2024 4:16 PM ET

Since the days of westward expansion, and the manifest destiny that fueled those pioneers in covered wagons, California has been the land of promise, opportunity, and adventure. While today, the Golden State is the most populous in the nation, those early ideals still permeate with folks leaving behind their lives, jumping on planes, and hoping to make it big in Hollywood or Silicon Valley or even … the state’s world-class surf spots.

Boasting 840 miles of coastline, as the crow flies, California is littered with surf zones of all varieties. From monstrous big waves to high-performance small waves to literally everything in between, catering to all skill levels of surfer, California is home to a plethora of surfing options. And in a handful of cases, those waves are some of the best surf spots in the entire world. To be honest, this list could be a lot longer on account of all the good waves, but we had to cap it somewhere.

And so, here’s a dimepiece of the best, in no particular order. Here are California’s top 10 surf spots:

1. Malibu

More than most spots on this list, Malibu is steeped in surf history. It’s where the modern boom of California surfing – with Gidget and Beach Blanket Bingo and hotdog longboard innovation – began in the 1950s and 60s. And still today, the famed righthand pointbreak is a cornerstone of California surf culture, as one of the best (and most historically important) waves on Highway 1. Good luck getting a wave to yourself or finding a parking spot.

2. Mavericks

Not all waves on this list are for the average surfer. Mavericks certainly is not. This is California’s premier big-wave spot, breaking way offshore in the central coast’s Half Moon Bay. Although rightfully terrifying, Mavs is a pretty perfect setup for a big wave—a fairly concentrated takeoff zone, a designated channel, and some of the heaviest drops (and occasional tubes) obtainable in the world’s big-wave realm. Unless you’re an expert, this is a spot for practicing that age-old maxim: Look but don’t touch.

3. Steamer Lane

As the marquee wave of Santa Cruz—aka Surf City of the north—Steamer Lane is an iconic, celebrated surf spot. (It’s even, deservedly so, a historical landmark.) With towering cliffs making for a stadium-style viewing experience and an old lighthouse looming over it, the righthand pointbreak has long been a beloved beacon of cold-water California surf. And the Lane can hold in a variety of swell conditions—from fun and friendly to big and scary.

4. Trestles

Few surf spots in California—let alone the world—are as synonymous with “high-performance surfing” as Trestles. And the crown jewel of the cobblestone cluster of waves? Lowers. A perfect A-frame peak, with forgiving, rippable walls spreading in either direction. It’s one of nature’s best impressions of a manmade wave pool. And because of that consistency and shred-a-bility, there’s a reason why Lowers is home to seemingly hundreds of groms looking to land their first air reverses, seasoned pros putting everyone else to shame, and the finale to World Surf League’s season.

5. Rincon

Hailed as the “Queen of the Coast,” Rincon is one of the world’s greatest pointbreaks—hands down the best in California. Nestled right on the border between Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, Rincon is a coveted righthander, occasionally breaking all the way through from the top of the point (Indicator) to the inside (the Cove), which is a distance of about 300 yards. It has honed the styles of some of California’s greatest—from Tom Curren to Bobby Martinez to Conner Coffin and more.

6. Blacks

Towering cliffs, a freewheeling nudist community, and top-tier sand-bottomed tubes. That’s Blacks Beach in San Diego County. With a deep-water canyon offshore, which funnels swell into the two-mile stretch of La Jolla coastline, Blacks is a heaving, barreling, occasionally XL beachbreak surf spot. It can hold swell anywhere from two feet to 20, meaning there are many faces to this wave, catering to many different skill levels of surfer. When it’s big, however, that’s when it really shines. As always, though, those conditions are reserved for the seasoned surfer.

7. Ocean Beach

Northern California, in general, is not for the faint-of-heart surfer. The water’s colder, the waves are stronger, and quite often, they’re bigger too. Ocean Beach, a 3.5-mile stretch of sand on the western end of San Francisco, is a prime example of those tough-to-handle NorCal conditions. In fact, it’s not uncommon for surfers to be foiled in their attempts to ride a wave simply due to the notoriously difficult paddle-out. No channel, no reprieve. But if you do make it out, there’s a prize waiting—peaky, powerful, often barreling waves. It’s a fickle mistress, though; the sandbars here have been known to shift quickly, like, from hour to hour. Is the juice worth the squeeze? Absolutely.

8. Hollister Ranch

Coveted and controversial, Hollister Ranch is one of California’s most pristine surfing zones. There’s a long, contentious history surrounding this 8.5-mile stretch of coastline in Santa Barbara County, simply known in surfing parlance as “The Ranch.” It basically boils down to this: surfers don’t want other surfers crowding the spots. A tale as old as time. But where there are waves, folks will find a way. In other words, getting called into the gate by a friend (of a friend of a friend, etc.) or motoring up the coast via boat. It’s one of California’s most untouched stretches of beach—and multiple very, very good waves—and surfers hope to keep it that way. Can you blame ‘em?

9. Newport Beach

Smack dab in the middle of the surf industry’s California nucleus, Newport Beach is a beachbreak haven. From River Jetties in the north down to the Wedge in the south, this ritzy town is literally bursting with waves. The only question is: Which peak are you paddling out at? Manmade intervention has actually helped the surfing scene here, which isn’t always the case. A series of jetties disperse the sand flow, helping the shape of the waves from 56th Street down to 36th. Then, there’s the aforementioned Wedge. It’s hard to call it a surf spot. Rather it’s more of a spectacle. For those willing to risk life and limb, though, this anomaly of a wave ritually produces some of California’s most chaotic yet astounding rides.

10. Huntington Beach

Say what you will, but this list can’t exist without Surf City. Both bemoaned and beloved, the waves in Huntington Beach are nevertheless iconic. It’s the site of the annual U.S. Open of Surfing, which, throughout the years, has incited raucous parties and, on multiple occasions, riots. Yes, the actual surfing at the U.S. Open of Surfing often gets a backseat. But if you can Huntington Hop your way past that, there’s often a good peak or two to find practically year-round, from the Pier up to Bolsa Chica. Plus, Duke Kahanamoku himself surfed these waters; when the pier was first built in the early 1900s, he gave a surfing demonstration to celebrate its grand opening. That’s something special, something you can’t say about too many other surf spots.

BONUS: Surf Ranch

The best wave in California (arguably) is 100 miles from the beach, breaking under a cloud of cow farts, in the tiny farming and livestock town of Lemoore. When Kelly Slater unveiled the Surf Ranch back in 2015, he shocked the world. Hell, he shocked himself. It was like landing on the moon. What was perceived as impossible became possible. A perfect wave. Manmade. The gods be damned. And that kicked off the modern wave pool race as we know it today. For better or worse, surfing would never be the same. Only thing is, it costs a pretty penny to surf this mythical beast.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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