| San
Diego Surfing
San Diego could be considered the
surfing fashion center of the world. Surfing
lingo, attitudes and influences that originated
in San Diego have impacted surfing
and modern society in many positive and meaningful ways
including art, music, attitudes and language. With a
long history of colorful characters and a rich tradition
of surfing history San Diego surfing
continues to have a tremendous cultural impact on the
rest of the nation and the world. What follows is a
brief look at some of San Diego's most
influential surfers and San
Diego's small and big wave surfing spots many
consider amongst the worlds best waves.
When it comes to big waves there is
no doubt one of the more challenging waves in San
Diego is located in Imperial Beach called the
Tijuana Sloughs. As far back as the early 1940's
before much was known about big wave surfing
surfers such as Lorrin Whitey Harrison, Jack Ekstrom,
and others challenged and honed their big wave
skills in the spooky far out breaking waves
of the Tijuana Sloughs. Past surfers
who braved the line up (pre-leash) include big
wave surfing icons Peter Cole, Buzzy Trent and Pat Curren.
Just as in the yester years today when the surf is up
at the Tijuana Sloughs only the hard
core and most experienced surfers dare
to paddle out. If you can surf the mysto waves of the
Tijuana Sloughs you can surf anywhere.
Sunset Cliffs off Point Loma in California
offers some of the most perfect, hollow and guarded waves
in San Diego. In the past Sunset
Cliffs has been heavily patrolled by surfing
locals who consider the sometimes-hard breaking,
perfect hollow waves sacred. The waves at the cliffs can
be flawless and extremely long, a surfers paradise,
but be advised these waves are better suited for experienced
surfers. Paddling out even on larger days is relatively
easy as deep water channels allow easy access although
climbing up and down the cliffs can and getting in
after surfing can be tricky. Beginning
surfers would be better off surfing the
beach breaks at near by Mission Beach or Pacific Beach.
Pacific Beach has a plethora of good
waves from beach and reef breaks to a nice easy rolling
wave called PB point. Perhaps one of the most famous
surfers from Pacific Beach is Skip
Frye. Frye in addition to being a world-class
style master is well known for shaping his own brand
of innovative surfboards. Frye's
surfboard designs have stoked out generations
of surfers and are held in high regard amongst
many surfers. Frye however is not the only San
Diego surfboard craftsman to receive world
acclaim. Larry Gorden of G and S surfboards has manufactured
more good surfboards for surfers
worldwide than there are grains of sand on
the beach.
La Jolla next to PB has so much
surfing history and good waves volumes of books
could be written and still not cover all the
great surfers, their contributions, and the
fantastic waves that exist in Ethe JewelE Way
back when the father of modern surfboards Bob
Simmons was creating advanced shapes at Windansea
that still influence designers of today. Mike
Diffenderfer, Rusty Presindorfer, Tim Bessell, Steve
Lis, Mike Hynson and others have earned world
wide reputations that endure time and space. Surfers
such as Butch Van Artsdale, Chris Orouke and Gary Keatings
reputations for ripping go on long after they have passed
away. The Huffman brothers along with Jeff Toomey,
Dale Dobson, and Joe Roper put a shallow somewhat
dangerous wave known as Big Rock on the map. Margo
Godfrey Oberg one of the very finest
women surfers to ever surf began her long surfing
career in La Jolla. Take note- La Jolla
Cove has some of the best big waves found anywhere.
In the North county, Del Mar is home
of world champion long board surfer Joel Tuder
and up and coming world surfing champion Billy
Harris. The Beach boys wrote many of their
epic surf music tunes while staying
in Del Mar. Some of the worlds best
big wave surfers have come from North County,
Michael Willis and Milton Willis from Solana
Beach, along with Rusty Miller and
Brad Gerlach from Encinitas. Big wave aficionados
Billy Hamilton, Laird Hamilton and Mike Doyal
all have ties to north county as does pipe masters
Rob Machado, Joey Buran and
$50,000 big wave challenge winner Taylor Knox.
Ask those lucky enough to experience the beauty, waves,
and excitement of San Diego surfing
and they will tell you we are the luckiest surfers
in the world. The saying in surfing goes she west is
the bestE Although East coast waves can
be very good it is most east coast surfers
dream to surf the plentiful waves
of San Diego. In fact surfers from
all around the world continue to aspire to
ride the wild surf and perfect San Diego waves.
San Diegans should be very proud of our surfing
history and can take assurance with the
next generation of San Diego surfers that the
best is yet to come. Sea you in the surf.
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