How to Choose the Best Santa Cruz Surfing Spot

If you are new to surfing Santa Cruz keep these things in mind when picking the perfect spot:

• Don’t go where more experienced surfers surf. You will get in the way and create dangerous situations. Staying out of other surfer’s way is good surf etiquette. Check our Santa Cruz Surfing Breaks post for more details on where to find beginner, intermediate and advanced waves and our post on Santa Cruz Surfing Etiquette for more details on how to stay safe and have fun in the water.
• When you’re just starting to learn to surf, find a peak to yourself if possible or take a Santa Cruz surf lesson.
• Make sure there are a few people around. It’s a good idea, if you’re a beginner, to surf near a lifeguard. any Santa Cruz beaches have lifeguards during the summer. Capitola Beach is one of them!
• Look for any surfing restrictions in certain areas. Some Santa Cruz surfing spots will not let you surf during certain times of the day. Lifeguards may post a “Black Ball Flag” on their tower. This flag may restrict surfing or just hard surfboards in a particular area. Check with the lifeguards when you see this flag.
• Make sure your parking meter is paid up or you have the right parking permit! A parking ticket will potentially ruin your Santa Cruz activities.
• Don’t surf in the beach break. This is extremely dangerous! The beach break is where the waves break right on the sand at the water’s edge. When surfing Santa Cruz, beach breaks include spots like Capitola Beach and Pleasure Point area.