SURF COUNTY, USA : SURF’S UP : A Look at Orange County’s Best Breaks

If riding waves is your idea of the ultimate in recreation, then the beaches of Orange County are the Playgrounds of your dreams. From Seal Beach to San Onofre lies a stretch of sand and surf that features fast, hollow tubes, slow, rolling peaks, and everything in between. There are high-powered point breaks, such as Trestles, where some of the world’s best surfers hone their skills. And there are low-key beach breaks, such as Bolsa Chica, where beginners get their first mouthful of saltwater while floundering in the white water. Indeed, there’s something for everyone with a surfboard and a love for the waves.

BEACH BREAK WAVE At Huntington Beach and other beach breaks, ocean storms and variations in swell direction can change the character and size of a beach break wave in a matter of days or even hours.

The presence of a continental shelf miles out slows the beach break and diminishes its energy. Shifting sand bars create an alternating pattern of breaking waves and open channels allowing surging water to flow laterally in the primary surf zone.

Offshore winds can smooth and shape the wave into perfect plunging cylinders.

Water surging toward the shore escapes back to the sea through deep-water channels.

POINT BREAK WAVE

waves peel around the point at Trestles and dump onto shore giving the surfer one of the best rides in Southern California.

Swell advances toward shore and wraps around the point at Trestles and crashes onto the cobblestone beach.

The Current sweeps around the point into a channel that runs around the shoulders of the waves.