Page 418 - California Diving and Surfing

RIVIERA: Located at Avenida la
Costa. Breaks in all flavors of swell
due to sand bar created by stream
runoff. Numerous breaks disperses
crowd. Some barrels.
COTTON’S: Located just north of
the Trestles beach trail. During large
S or SW swells over 6 feet Cotton’s
is one of the best kept secrets on the
coast. While most people head for
Trestles, the long left walls of Cotton’s Tide: Medium. Wind: E. Bottom:
go virtually unmolested. Cotton’s
is primarily a left point style wave
breaking over sand & rock but it does
have a short right depending on the
swell direction. It is quite susceptible
to onshore winds but if you get on it
early you should have no problem.
Best Season: Summer. Direction: S,
SW. Size 5’-8’. Tide: Medium. Wind:
E. Bottom: Rock, Sand. Rating: Inter-
mediate
UPPER TRESTLES: Very similar to
Lower Trestles, Uppers as it’s more
commonly referred, is a rock reef
with three distinct take-off zones.
Most people prefer the long right
off the point for lengthy rides but
there are still two other peaks that
hold their own even when it’s small.
Before paddling out weigh your
options, whatever you choose you
won’t be disappointed. Heavy crowds
but generally peaceful. Best Season:
Summer. Direction: S, SW. Size: 3’-6’.
Algae Covered Rock, Sand. Rating:
Advanced.
LOWER TRESTLES: Easily one of
the most high performance waves
in the world, Lower Trestles lives up
to the rumors & the hype. During a
solid S or SW groundswell this rock
strewn point transforms into every
surfer’s dream wave as one hundred
yard rights shoot down the line beg-
ging for punishment. Even when the
swell isn’t raging Lowers still offers a
lengthy right & punchy left perfectly
suited for multiple tail-sliding hits off
the top. If you’re comfortable surfing
in a crowd & aren’t afraid of a long,
anxiety filled walks, then Lowers is
the place for you. Best Season: Sum-
mer. Direction: S, SW. Size: 2’-10’.
Tide: Medium. Wind: E. Bottom:
Algae Covered Rock, Sand. Rating:
Advanced.
CHURCHES (CHURCH): A long
right point broken up into several
take-off zones. All of them have the
ability to fire but it’s those rare, giant
northwest swells that occasionally
connect all the sections together that
makes this wave so amazing. Church-
es is often choked with overzealous
longboarders, beware.