Santa Cruz Water Conditions
On July 31st Dave and I went down to Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz to ride the epic South Swell. Unfortunately the water quality has been pretty low and there was a dead seal stinking the place up bad. I got sick and was out for a few days and have been coughing ever since. Fortunately the waves were amazing, double overhead on Saturday August 1st but still pretty great on Friday.
Pleasure Point is a great place to surf in Northern California because the sets break in a few different places and the kelp keeps out sharks. There are several great shops nearby that rent boards (including the legendary Santa Cruz boardshop). Parking is easy to find and there are several ways to get down to the beach.
In addition to the recent low water quality issues, the cliffside is falling into the sea. Massive construction is underway to support the road and on this particular day some of the wooden supports had been knocked out by the waves and were floating around in the whitewash. High tide is pummeling the wall and whether it’s global warming or just a storm or tide change the cliff is taking a beating. Good news is that probably won’t be the case by the time you read this… Pleasure Point also has a shower station down at the South end.
In case you’re in town and want to check the spot out here’s a map (you can zoom in and actually see a couple of long boarders out there). More than Steamer’s Lane or a few other spots in Santa Cruz, Pleasure Point is friendly and open. Cowell’s is another great spot where the waves are more attuned to long boarders and the riders are very chill and mostly girls. Cowell’s is just South of Pleasure Point near the boardwalk. More on Pleasure Point at Surfline and magicseaweed