A Love Letter to Surfing: The Central Coast

Far north of the overcrowded surf zones of LA and Orange County lies a stretch of coast that sets the tone immediately upon arrival. The Central Coast isn’t your quintessential California surf experience; the sunny, mellow days are typically few and far between. The water is colder. The waves, and unfortunately, the sharks, are bigger. But what this stretch of cliff and sand lacks in spot notoriety or corporate outlet presence it more than makes up for by preserving the spirit of the California surf experience. 

Surfing alongside 200 of your closest friends at the point breaks of Malibu may have its allure for some, but the claustrophobia that comes with such trafficked spots muffles the full experience of the sport of kings. After all, riding waves is only a small part of surfing, something one can only learn with space between them and their fellow humans. Sometimes it's the sound of offshore wind whistling through the lineup, or the view of an unobstructed sunrise horizon. For those like me, an empty lineup provides the template for a moment of quiet reflection that may be elusive on land. 

Here’s the catch: It isn’t good very often. It constantly disappoints both in quality and in consistency. Forecasts miss wildly. The fog is relentless. Surfers must also deal with the ever present feeling that they are within a large predator’s midst. The decision whether or not to ignore a suspicious splash or a black shape in the lineup usually coincides with the quality of the waves at the current moment. In other words, nothing will ever come easily for a Central Coast surfer. 

But on an occasional morning in the late summer-most notably in the fall-the northwest winds go slack for hours on end, the air feels light and alive, and the swells glide in with a deep blue hue that pops against the prisms of golden morning light. The energy on the coast during days like these can make a spiritual man out of anyone, as it did to me. For those lucky enough to witness, they’ll be quick to realize that the Central Coast surfing experience is worth every bit of the struggle. 

I still remember quite vividly my first sunrise surf on the Central Coast. I clumsily paddled past the breaking waves, their crests illuminated with the dawn’s glow. My adrenaline addled brain was forced to reckon with a view so calm I couldn’t help but relax. I remember how the stillness  of the morning seemed to wash over the coast- and how it washed through me. I know now that these moments of silence are as central to my love of surfing as any wave I’ve ever ridden.