California

Why San Diego

Southern California packs an enormous range into an hour's drive, and San Diego is its friendliest corner.

• **La Jolla Shores** is a soft, sandy-bottom beach break and one of the safest places in California to learn.La Jolla Shores is a soft, sandy-bottom beach break and one of the safest places in California to learn.
• **Pacific Beach** and the **North County** breaks (Encinitas, Moonlight) are the everyday beach-break diet — fun, inconsistent, sometimes excellent.Pacific Beach and the North County breaks (Encinitas, Moonlight) are the everyday beach-break diet — fun, inconsistent, sometimes excellent.
• **Lower Trestles**, an hour north, is one of the best performance waves in the country and one of the most crowded.Lower Trestles, an hour north, is one of the best performance waves in the country and one of the most crowded.
• **Blacks Beach** is a heavy, canyon-fed beach break for strong surfers only.Blacks Beach is a heavy, canyon-fed beach break for strong surfers only.

Wear a wetsuit. Even in August the water rarely gets truly warm, and in winter a 4/3 is standard. People underestimate this constantly.

When to go

• **May–Oct:** the warmest water and the south-swell season — the friendliest window, and when lessons run.May–Oct: the warmest water and the south-swell season — the friendliest window, and when lessons run.
• **Nov–Apr:** bigger northwest swells, colder water, better waves for experienced surfers.Nov–Apr: bigger northwest swells, colder water, better waves for experienced surfers.

Getting around

Fly into San Diego (SAN). You will want a car — the good breaks are spread up the coast, and the difference between a great day and a wasted one is often a twenty-minute drive. As in Hawaii, there are no surf-and-stay camps here: you book lodging and a surf school separately.