Boardom Chick Chat

Boardom_Wave_Logo.GIF (12528 bytes)
The thrill is in the ride

Hot Pics

What's Up

Who's Hot

Chic Chat

Men's

Bodyboarding

Surf Camps

Join Boardom

Home

Chic Chat:

THE PERFECT SURF SPOT
By: Holly Beck

Every surfer dreams of the perfect wave. Think of that pencilled doodle of a wave on your school folder. Imagine that object of fantasy that momentarily removed you from the monotony of class and transported you to some mystic location with constant offshore winds and no one else around. Whether its imagined to be a right or a left, fast and hollow, or long and mellow, each surfer has in mind a dream wave perfectly suited to their taste and skill level. Usually, it exists only on the corner of a notebook or in the mind of the artist. But what good is a perfect fantasy wave if it can’t be ridden? Staring at a doodle for hours won’t even begin to cure that itch that just makes you want to go get wet! A perfect wave is only perfect if it can be ridden! Along this same line of thinking, a perfect wave actually involves more than just the wave itself. Good waves are everywhere, but what makes for surfing perfection is the surf spot as a whole.

The past few years I have had the opportunity to travel all over the place and ride a lot of great waves. From Hawaii, to Mexico, to Indonesia, to remote islands off the coast of Panama I’ve had a chance to check out a lot of great spots. Each had something special that makes me want to go back and surf them again, but none can compare to my favorite spot, conveniently located in my own hometown.

About a ten minute drive West of the house where I spent my childhood is a quiet cove with a fun left pointbreak. During the warm summer months, the waves are never more than just ripples rolling onto the rocks. A few months later, usually around Thanksgiving, like a bear coming out of hibernation, the surf comes alive with the first big NW swell of the season. Partially blocked by the Channel Islands, Catalina, and the point of Palos Verdes, the swell window is small. Swells must be at least overhead and at the prime direction for the point to even break, let alone be good. Even when all the swell conditions are right, the wave itself is subject to tidal fluctuations and heavy sea kelp. It doesn’t get good very often, but those moments when all the elements come together are well worth the wait.

As I drive down the hill to check the surf, the ocean is just visible over the trees. Coming around the corner and pulling into the free parking lot, I look to see which of my friend’s cars line the cliff. Surfers who have been riding those waves for years mingle on the cliff waiting for the right tide or for a second burst of energy in order to paddle out again. We kick pebbles off the steep dirt cliff and hoot for our friends after witnessing a good ride. Every session is a social gathering. The cliff is high enough to be able to see every wave and every turn, but close enough to see the surfer’s face and yell encouraging comments.

It’s a place where a hierarchical order is maintained. The local surfers demand respect and reward it with sharing waves. The scarcity of days of good waves prevent the spot from becoming too popular and the locals are just fine with that.

It is surfing, as it should be. Even though it wouldn’t be considered a world class wave, because I can paddle out, know every face in the water by name, and share in the beauty of the social world of surfing, it is my favorite surf spot. I would rather surf there than anywhere else, and whenever I pencil a doodle on my school notebook, it is this wave that I have in mind.