Page 417 - California Diving and Surfing
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DANA STRANDS: Surfing here               rides no matter what the size. The        LINDA LANE: At Palizada & Seville,
requires a quad-burning hike down        bottom consists of both sand and          just N of the pier, a long line of beach
an elongated set of stairs. Located      rock so be careful out there if it’s low  breaks is great, mostly for body-
at PCH & Selva Rd., there are two        tide. Rating: Beginner.                   boarding. Surfing is blackballed from
surf breaks: STAIRS & THE POINT.         KILLER CAPO: Rarely breaking              11a.m. to 5p.m. all summer.
STAIRS is a reef break between the       peak right in front of private homes      SAN CLEMENTE PIER: Typical
beach entry & the Point to the south.    on empty Capistrano State Beach.          beachbreak on both sides of the pier.
It is best at high tide on S swell. The  Often a big shorebreak, but when the      Rating: Intermediate.
Point has great bodyboarding at the S    S or W swell is double-overhead high      T STREET (TRAFALGAR STREET):
end of the beach.                        it won’t close out. Intermediate plus.    T Street is a complicated set of reefs
DOHENY: At PCH and Dana Harbor           POCHE: At PCH and Camino                  and sand which produces some of
Dr. there are four surf breaks here      Capistrano, S swells gives an outside     the most consistent & often per-
called FIRST SPOT,                       left or right break over a rock reef, &   formance-minded waves along the
SECOND SPOT, BONEYARDS, &                a reforming inside break for short-       coast. There are three main areas to
RIVERMOUTH. Doheny of pre-               boards or longboards. Rating: Inter-      surf depending on the swell direc-
1970 was THE premier surf spot of        mediate                                   tion, each one offering everything
California, until the harbor was built.  204 BEACH: Off Avenida Aragon             from fast, down the line surfing to
Now, instead of Pipeline tubes, you      a long stairway leads to beach with       slow, gutless mush. When it’s micro
get small, slow, mushy surf. An ideal    generally tame, mushy waves. How-         everywhere else give T Street a check
beginner’s wave, Doheny is a favorite    ever, with a big S swell the waves        & you’re bound to find a little some-
among longboarders & families alike.     transform into a screaming barrel.        thing. Bodyboarding 11a.m. until
The waves here are always smaller        Advanced.                                 6p.m. all summer. Rating: Intermedi-
than surrounding areas because of                                                  ate.
jetty blockage; however, Doheny is
still perfectly suited for long, mellow
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