Water’s up in Newport Beach?

June Casagrande

Let’s face it, while the weather in Southern California is

user-friendly almost year-round, the water isn’t quite as welcoming. In

fact, if you want a Floridian’s opinion, California waters are flat-out

cold most of the time.

But for a few months of the year, the water is warm enough for even

the least-hardy land mammals. So here are some ways to get wet and some

of the best places to frolic.

* Everyone knows surfing is a dish best served cold. Winter waves,

anyone will tell you, usually put to shame anything seen in summer. But

there’s a lot to be said for shedding the wetsuit and frolicking al

fresco. Blackie’s, the spot just north of Newport Pier, is one of the

best local spots for longboarders. Other popular surf spots include the

56th Street and Santa Ana River jetties. And Newport Point, on a

hit-or-miss basis, can also offer some highs for surfers.

* Bodysurfing is another thing entirely, a subculture unto itself. And

unlike board surfing, bodysurfing in Newport Beach is oh, so summer. One

name here is synonymous with bodysurfing: the Wedge. This spot at the

very tip of Balboa Peninsula has some of its biggest waves in summer,

when the area is off limits to boards.

* And then there’s bodyboarding. Perhaps the best place to go in

Newport Beach is at 40th Street, but because surfboards are blackballed

all the way to Blackie’s, this whole stretch is a bodyboarder’s paradise.

The best waves in the summer are in the mornings, sometimes stretching

into the late afternoon.

* Does anyone remember swimming? That’s when you go into the water

without any expensive equipment -- not even equipped with surf report

information about where the big ones are breaking -- and just enjoy the

relatively placid water?

Obviously, local waters during the summer transform the whole town

into a swim spot. But some spots are better than others. As a rule,

west-facing beaches are the best swim spots in the summer because they

don’t get the big waves. The twofold benefits are obvious: Not only are

the waters easier to swim in, but they also become surfer-free zones

where swimmers rule.

Ironically, Blackie’s is one such spot. While summer waves here make

it one of the best surf spots, calmer conditions transform Blackie’s into

the best place to swim.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .