Pick a wave, any wave

S.J. Cahn

You don’t have to be the world’s best surfer to grab a board and run

into the water -- from Bolsa Chica to South Laguna.

Sure, in some spots, it helps.

But those beaches include waves for all levels of surfers, not to

mention bodyboarders, skimboarders and bodysurfers. And summer is a

great time because these beaches all harness south and southwest

swells.

Bolsa Chica is a great spot to learn to surf, though it gets

crowded and is dotted with the bobbing forms of longboarders, who can

catch more than their share of waves. But the inside sections are

learner-friendly.

Those plentiful bobbing forms suggest something else: It is a good

place to head if you’re carrying a 9-foot board. The waves tend to

break a little easier, though spots also can hold a bigger swell.

Just south of Bolsa Chica, at the “Cliffs” near 17th Street, the crowd gets more intense. With a deep-water channel, the waves here

often are the best around when there’s a high tide, and like Bolsa

Chica, it can hold a swell.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, stay away from the Huntington

Beach Pier. If you do, get in line, because this spot -- which can

offer up peeling rights and lefts off the pier’s pilings -- gets as

crowded as any. The vibe can be a little friendlier if you float a

few blocks to either side.

South of the pier, around Beach Boulevard, the crowds thin out a

bit and the waves stay steep and peaky on a good swell. But you’re

also getting closer to Magnolia Street, where even if the water is

clean, memories of it being dirty linger. The parking’s ample, but

avoid it if there’s been rain -- or worse.

The Santa Ana River Jetties and south at 56th Street in Newport

Beach are both good for high-performance waves that can rival any in

the county. So can the crowds. If you don’t want to dodge groms all

day, heading south to the jetties around 36th and 40th streets --

beware the bodyboard-only spots -- can be a good choice, though the

surf usually is a foot or two smaller.

North of the Newport Pier is Blackie’s, a longboard haven that

mimics world-famous San Onofre. Like Bolsa Chica, it’s a good place

to learn. Unlike Bolsa Chica, there’s no parking.

A survey through Newport wouldn’t be complete without its two most

radical spots.

The Wedge still is wicked, even in these days of 60-foot waves,

but only on a solid south swell. The Wedge usually is blackballed (no

boards allowed), keeping it a bodysurfer’s paradise. Here, huge

15-foot waves will break through thin sheets of water and right into

the sand. Experts only need apply themselves.

Then there’s Newport’s most fickle spot. And while the Newport

Point doesn’t break often, it’s no secret spot: If the right south

swell is hitting, everyone will know about it. And you’ll know it’s

firing because of the double-overhead barrels peeling along the beach

south of the Balboa Pier.

On the right swell -- and anyone who knows about it won’t tell you

when it is -- parts of Crystal Cove will break as big as any spot in

Southern California. The most notorious is right at El Morro village,

a left breaking off the outcropping shoreline.

Laguna Beach, itself, is mostly for locals and those-who-know. The

surf at Brooks Street and other spots breaks on a rocky shore that

can be hazardous, especially when it’s going off on a strong south

swell.