Surfing California

Eight hundred and forty miles of coastline, every wave type from ankle-high longboard gliders to the big-wave monsters at Mavericks, and a surf culture building since the 1950s — forty-two breaks from the Mexican border to the redwood coast. San Diego runs Tourmaline, Windansea, Swami's, Black's Beach and the Shores; Orange County holds Lower Trestles, the finest high-performance right in the state, plus San Onofre's mellow logging, Doheny, T-Street and the Wedge's notorious shorebreak. Malibu's First Point is the wave that defined California longboarding, with Rincon up the coast the best point break on the mainland. Santa Cruz counters with Steamer Lane, Pleasure Point and Cowell's, the state's gentlest beginner wave, while Mavericks looms an hour north, a cold-water big-wave arena breaking over a reef each winter. Filter by tier, first-timer suitability and surf school access.