Costa Rica

But besides having “great people” and “great beaches” Costa Rica also has a few surprises in store considering its geographic location in the heart of Central America. This isn’t a part of the world that’s noted for democracy and a high regard for human rights, but unlike its troubled neighbours to the north and south Costa Rica boasts a long democratic tradition, has had no standing army since 1948, and is so environmentally-enlightened that 25 per cent of its territory is made up of national parks and nature reserves.

A country no bigger than Wales, it has some of the most varied landscapes and wildlife on Earth. For our visit we were based on the Caribbean coast at the small town of Puerto Viejo, close to the border with Panama. The scenery is all it should be – palms sway above turquoise waters and golden sands, monkeys howl from the tree tops and birds as bright as costume jewellery flit by as you wander through the jungle from your hotel to the beach, although the culture doesn’t have the Latin touch you might expect. The largely Afro-Caribbean residents of this part of the country are descendants of Jamaicans and Barbadians who came to Costa Rica at the turn of the century to work on the banana plantations and railways, and their language, style and Rasta culture mark this everywhere, from the bars and streets to the beaches where cool Rasta surfers cruise the powerful waves cracking across the offshore reefs.

Travelling to Puerto Viejo from the capital San Jose is a full morning’s drive even though the distance is little more than 120 miles – severely pot-holed roads, truck drivers from hell only two inches behind your rear bumper, and steep climbs up through the rain forest all make it a journey to remember – in fact the locals know the road as the ‘Highway to Heaven’, as much on account of the potential hazards as the fact that it’s often shrouded in mist.

From San Jose you climb steadily up over the continental divide with Volcan Barva on your left and Volcan Irazu – still active – on your right. Below them impenetrable forest, the white spray of cataracts tumbling through the greenery across distant hillsides, titanium-bright blue morpho butterflies bobbing past you, then downhill to cross rivers that provide some of the best white water rafting south of the USA before you arrive at the earthquake-beaten town of Puerto Limon and the coastal plain, where endless banana plantations run inland and the Caribbean waves boom onto empty beaches.

Besides noticing the scenery en route you’ll also notice how you’ve gone from the decidedly cool, damp climate of the cloud forest to the typically hot and steamy atmosphere of the coast. The altitude rises in places from sea level to 3500 m over a distance of only 150 km’s, with temperatures varying from 35 C to below freezing. The wildlife is adapted to these climatic changes every step of the way, and the altitude range, plus Costa Rica’s position as a ‘land bridge’ between the temperate climatic zone to the north and the tropics to the south are the reasons why the country boasts five per cent of the world’s total biodiversity.

Walking through coastal jungle after an afternoon on the beach, for example, we encountered howler monkeys, vividly-coloured poison dart frogs, spiders big enough to take you on at arm wrestling (fortunately non-poisonous) and the bizarre sloth, a creature that truly lives up to its name. Despite all this wildlife, in a country where the animal inventory includes jaguars, ocelots, tapirs, crocodiles and Technicolor creatures such as toucans, quetzals and sea snakes you could easily become almost blasé about spotting a mere sloth or shiny red frog.

Admittedly, it’s highly unlikely that you’d see all of the above on any one visit, but the fact that they’re there – and you might – is the major attraction of Costa Rica for many visitors. Another big attraction is the people. Friendly, easy-going and always ready to stop and talk or provide advice, even though compared to most visitors many of them live a frugal existence to say the least.

Take Tony, for example, a young Rasta who led us on a surfing expedition down towards the Panama border. When we asked him how he lived he replied: “I fish, there’s fruit and game in the forest, and I take surfers out to the reefs (for which we’d paid $15 each) in me boat – as long as I’ve got enough for me little daughter I don’t need no more, man”. The same applied to his colleague Bobby, who did building work here and there and hunted for wild boar and iguana if food was a bit scarce.

However, as with the rest of the world, things are changing fast on this idyllic coastline. The road to Manzanillo, the last settlement before your reach Panama and just a few kilometres from Puerto Viejo, was only completed in 1984 – before that it was just a muddy trail – but all along the way from Puerto Viejo tourist accommodation is springing up. Thankfully there are no high-rise apartments and everything appears to blend in with the surroundings, from the higher-priced hotels to the budget traveller’s hostels, giving the place the feel of Bali in the early 80’s.  The Pacific coastline of Costa Rica is also developing in a positive manner and is certainly the place to be heading for in the future. One can only hope that the combination of an enlightened approach by the Costa Rican Government towards ‘eco-tourism’, and the spirit of the kind of visitors they’re actively encouraging will help ensure that tourism doesn’t yet again wreck the very thing it came to see.

Words by Alf Alderson

COSTA RICA FACT FILE
Xoxxi – Offers the best and safest way to travel to Costa Rica as a surfer from the UK, they have operated a huge surf travel programme to the country since 2008 and are very experienced in the region, on call 24 hours a day which is handy and offer both coastlines for the surfer (Pacific and Caribbean).  They offer packages for singles, couples, groups of surf friends and families with children.  You can visit them at www.Xoxxisurf.com to find our more information.

The islands position, only ninety miles from the coast of Africa, means that it has a year round warm climate; winters are mild with average air temperatures in the low seventies whilst summers are hot with temperatures regularly touching ninety. The prevailing trade winds sweep off the Sahara bringing dry warm air and rainfall is low; the north easterlies blow offshore grooming consistent well-spaced swells from the North Atlantic.

Lanzarote

From a surfers point of view the main place to head for on the island is the stretch between La Caleta(Famara beach) and La Santa. The coast here is perfectly orientated to deal with all swell directions and wind conditions.

Arriving in La Caleta is always an awe-inspiring moment whether you arrive at night or in daylight. The view down to the coast from Lanzarote’s central volcanic range in day time is breathtaking, the Atlantic seems to form a bowl rimmed by the towering cliff of an old volcanic caldera, at night it appears you are staring out into the abyss with only the speckled lights of La Caleta village as distant guides to your destination.

La Caleta itself is a typical whitewashed Canarian fishing village, a few pleasant restaurants and a couple of coffee and cake shops sit around the dusty village centre. Inland only volcanic cones break the rocky volcanic desert. La Caleta lies on the divide between the huge sweep of Famara beach beneath towering cliffs and the volcanic ledges and reefs that Lanzarote is famous for.

The beach itself is the ideal training ground for all levels of surfers. If you’re there for the first time then the mellow waves and warm water allow you to get to your feet in incredible surroundings. Those surfers who aren’t quite ready for the reefs but are competent will also find some good waves on the beach, the mile plus of sand offers peaks and sizes for all abilities and can handle a variety of winds.

In Famara itself there are a couple of reefs, the harbour left occasionally works on big swells; you can guarantee that it will be crowded with locals when it is on though. Just west of town is one of Lanzarote’s best reef breaks at San Juan, the long hollow lefthander and shorter right offer a fast performance wave. There was a time when San Juan was one of the most localised spots on the Island, in fact Lanzarote for years was known as much for it’s localism as it was for its waves. Thankfully this fearsome reputation is now unfounded, today many of the locals have surf related businesses and whilst the utmost respect should be shown in the line up and the rules of surfing should be followed there is little chance of seeing any trouble.

West of San Juan there is a stretch of barren inaccessible coastline, rumours abound about what lies on the edge of the lava fields but in reality the answer is not much until you reach the little village of Caleta de Cabello. Here you’ll find lefts in front of the village and a peak just to the east known as Ghost Town, both good waves.
A mile west is the imposing structure of the La Santa sports centre, a base for winter training for many athletes due to the mild dry weather. La Santa village itself is a pleasant fishing village, which has grown into a small holiday centre. It has numerous restaurants, bars and cafes and a couple of supermarkets. Of course La Santa is also the centre for the Islands surfing community with its three most famous waves all out front. El Quemao is the best known, often described as the Pipeline of the Atlantic, it is a hollow lefthander with the occasional day of rights. It’s an unforgiving wave, shallow and with an end section that if you misjudge it you’re likely to enjoy a rough ride across an urchin infested reef. For the more experienced surfer it is a joy and real test of your ability.

Crowds fluctuate, on the best day of the winter it will be busy but many good days see it go only lightly ridden. Village left is the best wave on the Island, also called The Slab by foreigners the heavy left and rights are truly world class. Its reputation however guarantees a crowd and the fact that it is also very consistent means that getting this wave with few people out is rare and on classic days getting just one wave from the hungry locals is tricky. Just across the channel from village left is Morro Negro a long sweeping right-hander that handles serious size. The point as it is often referred too is a quality wave for anyone from an Intermediate surfer all the way up to a pro. At three foot it’s a dream on a longboard or a shortboard with long walls to play with, at six foot it’s challenging but enjoyable with a few hollow sections, above this and it starts to get serious and can hold almost anything with a big outside Sunset style peak offering heart-pounding drops.

There are many other waves on the island, the east coast has plenty to offer when the swell is big and just offshore is the wave haven of Isla Graciosa, but it is the stretch from Famara to La Santa, which is richest and offers so many options for so many standards of surfers.

Away from the surf and Lanzarote is probably famed for three things, the seafood, the volcanoes and the beach/nightlife of the southern resorts. The food is out of this world, fresh caught fish is a treat and the little local restaurants in La Caleta and La Santa are both reasonable in price and high in standards.

On down days in the surf an essential visit is Timanfaya National Park. The park is a huge volcanic field devoid of human touch, it was created only centuries ago when a series of volcanic eruptions in the 1730’s and again in the 1820’s created this breathtaking scenery. It is also a site of scientific interest and there is a visitor’s centre and laboratory focusing on the diversity of plant species that are colonising the lava fields. There are also geysers to visit and one restaurant that grill its meat over a thermal vent, its 600 degrees centigrade only ten metres below the surface!

For those surfers who are looking for a more lively time then Puerto Del Carmen is worth a look. A typical package holiday resort the town is full of pubs and clubs and all the usual trappings associated with this sort of development.

Lanzarote at first glance looks like a barren place but dig a little deeper below the surface and it is a vibrant diverse island with something for every taste and more importantly for surfers it has waves for every standard in a very small area. There aren’t many places on earth where you could be surfing a pipeline like wave and ten minutes away there is a mellow beach break full of beginners, add the consistently good weather to this and it’s not difficult to see why Lanzarote is a surfer’s paradise.

Travel Information:

For the best surfing trips to the Canaries then Xoxxi is really your only sensible choice, they offer the best accommodation, best surf clinic and you can rely on them, plus they are Atol bonded for your financial protection!

Visit http://www.xoxxisurf.com/learn-to-surf/surf-school-in-lanzarote.html for your surf holiday to Lanzarote or for other world-wide holidays.  Cheap flights can be found from http://www.traveljungle.co.uk and http://www.ba.com

Most people involved with surfing will never visit the home of the sport, although I personally feel it is the most important surf trip to make and the whole point of this trip is simply to experience the ‘Aloha’ of surfing in person.

I’m greeted at Honolulu airport by my personal surf guide as his voice echoes through the arrivals hall “Aloha, Bra…. Over Here….!”, whilst I try to remain calm what seems like hundreds of overweight New Yorkers trample all over me in the rush to get to the free limos for their accommodation.

Hawai

20 minutes later we are driving away from the city of Honolulu and into the dark depth of Oahu and towards the north shore. My guide who is pleasant and smiling chats happily away totally forgetting that I have travelled 18 hours and feel knackered. Here I am in a warm tropical climate, in a place that I have always wanted to visit since I could first walk and it seems a total daze, I just can’t take it in.

Suddenly we take a sharp right turn and we seem to go off road through some fields, my guide calm as ever just laughs and shouts out “short cut Bra… get some cane on the way!”, I soon find out he means, Sugar Cane! we pull over in a dark field and he grabs a large tall plant and snaps it in half, “that will give you some sugar to wake you up…Bra” then we are off into the night again as I start to doze off despite the recent sugar doze.

6am and I am woken up by what I think is thunder… the ground seems to shake but I see no clouds out the window. In a daze I grab some shorts and take a look outside my accommodation on the North Shore. The noise I heard was simply a nice 20ft swell breaking out front, as I look to my right I see surf pumping and then I look to my left and see the same, out in the line up I can see a few dots being lifted up the huge walls of water then disappearing again. What a wake up call!

After breakfast my guide arrives “what’s up Bra… nice swell today man!” the concern on my face must be obvious, surely this dude is not going to take me out in this swell. To my delight it would seem that we are actually heading for another spot that’s off the beat of normal visiting surfers “locals only Bra… and you my man of course!” as we trek in the 4 x 4 through a track that looks rather overgrown and something out of Tarzan.  We burst through the bush and a bay opens up in front of us with a nice 4 to 6ft wave breaking to the right and something rather larger on the left! All I know is we are somewhere on the south shore.

At lunch time for food, I tried a waffle dog (a hot dog wrapped in a pancake-like waffle). My guide had no trouble wolfing down his cheeseburger. I also enjoyed my wonton noodles but relished more the guide’s burger, which he declared the best he’d ever eaten.

Refuelled, we stopped next at Diamond Head, from which lava erupted about 150,000 years ago. “We’re in a volcano?” I asked as I looked up at the lip of the crater and tried to take it all in. I feared it would erupt again while we were in it. Although we felt like ants in the bottom of a big bowl, no harm came to us of course and it was off to the next best surf spot along the coast for some late afternoon watery barrels.

Five days into my week long stay in Oahu and I now feel more like a local than I do at my own spot back on the main land in US.  Here I am surfing in waves and next to real Hawaiian waterman of many generations and loving every minute of it. My guide just sits next to me in a line up that looks more like something off one of those surfing DVD’s, branded pro’s sit only yards away trying to escape the cameras that dot the line up of the bigger more popular breaks whilst in between them controlling the surf like amusement park employees are my new friends and for this week if not again I feel like a local!

Suddenly a shout comes from my side “Yours Bra…..!” and I realise that the next lump heading my way is finally mine.  I paddle with nice deep strokes, feeling for the wave as it approaches and I catch a glimpse in the corner of my eye as others start to paddle towards the approaching wave.  This wave has my name on it; I have the permission of the Hawaiian locals to use the power of Mother Nature for my pleasure. I start to rise up the face, then with out thinking I seem to be flying forward and I am moving quickly and smoothly down the line “Go Bra….” I hear in the distance and I hold tight in the wave and drag my hand to slow down as much as possible as the lip rises up and over with the ease of walking down the beach…. As I exit the barrel spray hits my back and I kick out the wave with as much grace as possible… an experience I could tell a thousands times over and brings me continued stoke, surfing Hawaiian barrels for fun!

Let’s face it, most surfers coming to Hawaii hit the surf and never budge. By the time we’ve packed up everything from wax to ding repair, flown God knows how far, unpacked everything, and planned the surf for the week including all the fun and relaxation, we deserve to dig our heels into the beach and sit awhile. But should the urge to explore strike you, there are fantastic outings all over Oahu, secret waterfalls, hidden petroglyphs, the world’s greatest water slides.

Having a personal surf guide who can drive you about if the surf goes flat or you just wish to explore makes it so much easier and the beauty is you can stay in either budget accommodation or a top 5 star resort either way this is a surf trip that no matter what standard you are from Learner to Professional you should go on. Aloha!

I travelled with Xoxxi ( http://www.xoxxisurf.com ) which is a surf brand run by regular surfers for regular surfers and they were very helpful in this unique travel surfing experience.  You can also visit the Hawaiian tourism website at ( http://www.visithawaii.com ) for other information on visiting the state.

About the author:

Shannon Burke, is a surfer of 3 decades and has enjoyed surfing all over the world, he is a freelance writer and freelance regular surfer that has a quiver of short boards, longboards, body boards and a paddleboard.

Surf Travel to South Africa

Dylan collected me after arrival and we were all packed up to head off along the coast.  South African surfers are always so stoked it is amazing and Dylan was no acceptation to that rule and assured me that he had a thorough knowledge of surfing in the area and that he was our tour guide.  Furthermore he practically guaranteed me that I will get to the respective spots when they are at their best, he just fell short in advising me he had arranged the swell as well.
As we arrived at the lodge on the outskirts of town I was greeted by the other surfers on the tour who had arrived a day or two earlier.  Dylan whispered in my ear and ensured me with an eager smile that the tour remains personal and that by limiting the number of people on each tour guarantees we all get a great time. Like all South African’s he is proud of the countries surf and then could not refrain from telling me yet again for the 5th time that he would ensure I surfed as many African barrels as possible. Umm…. I went to bed with that thought.
My second day started with Dylan taking the tour to a place at Muzuimbrug, an ideal spot he assured me to get acquainted to African Waves. ‘Muzies’ as it is known, is renowned for its rolling and very consistent A-Frame waves and endless stretch of beach.  Whilst Dylan provided surf lessons for some learners on the tour I paddled out the back to enjoy some glass morning surf.

After a hearty lunch we set off on an orientation tour of the stunning Cape Peninsula, Dylan believed this would help us get our bearing on the land and we also had a visit to the Cape Point Nature reserve as well as Cape Towns more famous tourist sights including a visit to boulders beach where wild penguins happily play.

The morning of day 3 was an important one for me personally as I could not wait to set out on our first port of call which was a 65-meter bungee at Gouritz. This is optional on the tour but it’s highly recommended to get you stoked and ready for the adventure that lies ahead and I was game for it. If you plan on doing the worlds highest one later in the trip, I suggest you do this one first to get a feel for it! I did not opt for the higher…

Along the way we stopped at Mossel Bay for a surf session, there was a selection of 3 breaks to choose from, Inner and Outer Pool as well as Ding Dangs. Depending on the conditions and your standard the surf guides will take you to the one with most zest, and they selected one just fine for me.

Inner Pool’s wave breaks very close to famed outer Pool off a section of rocks, walls up when at its best and is usually surfed when Outers is flat. Outer Pool Gets large and challenging in solid winter swell but is usually surfed when clean and orderly in light westerly winds. Outer offers a cooking right hand reef break with a solid wall and a long ride. Ding Dang’s a fun hotdog wave that works when winter swell wraps around cape St Blaise.

After the surf, we set off on the road again, the most beautiful scenery as we enter the ‘Garden Route’ is breath taking and most of us all sighed with disbelief at the views and the panorama that was unrolling ahead of us. Depending on the time of year, apparently the guides can surprise the group and dive for some crayfish (Cape Rock lobster) along the way for the evening dinner, this was not the case for my tour but I gather it can be the norm.

It’s up early to get the best swell the next morning and we all opted to head for a spot called Buffalo Bay Point – a very similar wave to Bruce’s Beauties that too me was going to be the highlight of the tour and was to come so I took this as a trial event.  The point can get superlative in the right conditions by all accounts and before leaving the US I had heard great reports of the conditions that can be found here so was please to see a perfect 3ft day.

That evening we checked into another local surf lodge, and zipped out for and evening surf! We headed off to a place I had dreamed of since first seeing the movie Endless Summer – Bruce’s Beauties – it breaks a lot more often than is thought of and is by know means a gentle long boarders paradise. When cooking, Bruce’s is a screaming right hand point that freight trains along a jagged line of rocks. “Get ready for mean gaping barrels” Dylan shouted as he disappeared into the water, leaving the rest of us half changed, running and falling every other step!  It was just like a clip from the movie here I was about to hit the surf of Endless Summer.

The next day I found it very difficult to get up to be honest, three great days of epic surf and with another few more to comes I just could not cope… my body was feeling the flight and the perfect surf of the night before.  So rather than surf I just joined the tour to watch the rest of the group under a go some lessons on the beach and sat back enjoying the wild environment that seemed as if Portland and US Airports was just a forgotten memory.  I could not believe that only 90+ hours ago I was crammed into a bus in Portland with a huge longboard knocking everyone that moved.  Now I lay head back on the sand listening to the sounds of sea birds and knowing that I am totally at peace and having the best surf trip in my life.  Sure I have surfed some amazing spots but to surf a spot I have seen over a thousand time son video and then to actually enjoy it going off better than in the film was beyond even my wildest thoughts of surfing in South Africa.

After a few more days of touring and surfing spots such as Boneyards, Supertubes, Salad bowls, J-Bay, Tubes, Point and Albatross it was time to start to head back in the direction of the Cape.  Everyone on the tour had become exhausted and tired but we were now a travelling surf family too tired to talk but desperate for one more last surf before the Cape and we were not disappointed as slowly we drove towards Buffalo Bay again and it was just as we left it, perfect……

As we drove in to Cape Town the next day Dylan turned to us all and said “How about Sky diving, or Paragliding? – We can even arrange a shark dive if you wish!” – in a great chorus we all said “shut up man… we are exhausted!”  The one thing you can say about South African’s they are a great friendly bunch and the stoke of surfing runs deep in there veins.

The beauty of the tour I think was summed up by the people on it, from 6 surfers who were learning to surf for the first time and having lessons daily to the rest of us who ranged from beginner to advanced.  We all surfed well and all experienced the conditions first hand.  We all had our own experiences and that is something all of us will take away and is our surf memory – an amazing surf trip.

I travelled with Xoxxi ( http://www.xoxxisurf.com ) which is a surf brand run by regular surfers for regular surfers and they were very helpful in this unique travel surfing experience.  You can also visit the South African tourism website at ( http://www.southafrica.net ) for other information on visiting the country.  You may also like to purchase a book, and I would recommend Surfing in South Africa, By Steve Pike (ISBN: 1919833153).

I had no idea of what to expect since Obama had won the election. The last time I was in the USA was back in 2006, it was all very relaxed, personal on this visit and maybe this is just because a new President was in charge, but then again I have always found Americans are general at least at face value the loveliest of people. From the moment you step out of the airport, the California way of life hits you. Within minutes I had seen five cars with surfboards on top drive past and I just couldn’t wait to start my Californian surf surfari.

California

Flying into San Francisco is always a great pleas¬ure: the new Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has finally opened from the city centre to the airport so it has never been easier to get from SFO to Pier 39! What is Pier 39 I hear you ask, well lets just say it’s the place to hang out if you’re a tourist visiting the city with the derelict prison of Alcatraz as a backdrop, the view of the golden gate bridge as another backdrop and a lot of cool chicks walking about, you kind of get drawn to the place by every tram anyway, so you can’t avoid it!

The following morning I picked up my Chevy and headed off down the coast on Pacific Highway 1 to Santa Cruz, the start of my whistle stop California tour. The luxury about surfing California is that surprisingly it is not full of surfers and the choice of spots is endless, well it always seems that way anyway. In over 15 years of visiting California I have only actually met one other UK surfer in the water so compared to Indonesia etc… Its paradise!

Santa Cruz is a cool, very green, redwood shin¬gled beach town that is home to some epic surf spots and some rather famous surfers like Richard Schmidt. The Santa Cruz municipal pier features restaurants, fish markets and excellent fishing facilities but I was not here for any of these I was here for surfing.

Steamer Lane is world famous for its kelp covered reefs and point breaks all located to the west of the main town. The water is cold compared to southern California but to a hardy European surfer it’s just like a spring surf or early summer with an average of 14c water temperature. The surf is clear and powerful and to be honest is so refresh¬ing to cut back and just glide the line ahead of the curl. Steamer Lane has always stolen the limelight for surfing this region but it’s the other spots you will find just as much excitement such as “The River mouth” located by the San Lorenzo River. This river splits the town in two and with the correct combination of river flow and swell you can experience per¬fect, hollow sandbar peaks at its mouth that make any trip to this region well worth the effort.

After 5 days of total surf elation in Santa Cruz it was time to move south to warmer water and cli¬mate of Huntington Beach in Orange County just south of Los Angeles. A good 9 hour drive from Santa Cruz and eventually I pull up outside my hotel to the sound of Surf crashing on the beach across the road. As I had travelled down I had noticed the continual swell following me in fact the closer it got to dusk and to LA the greater the swell height, so an early night was in store for the morning dawn patrol.

The following morning a continual knocking on the bedroom door wakes me. Oh! Jeez did I break the speed limit driving down last night and the local law enforcement guys have finally tracked me down. I open the door rather cagey, just in case, to see a beaming smile from my surf crazed Californian friend. Jeff is a former Professional and his hometown is Huntington Beach so who better than to catch the first morning rays with than a good old friend, and not too bad a surfer at that…

Huntington is simply Surf City. If you think Newquay is cool in Britain then you are in for a major culture shock in Huntington Beach. It is home to some of the best surf shops in the world and the surf community is laid back and very friendly, surf café’s serve such drinks called “dawn patrol” coffee and “pipeline” donuts for breakfast. The Pier is one of the most famous surf spots in the world; many an international contest has been held here and can work on any tide and any swell, I remember visiting here in the 1980’s to see the infamous Ocean Pacific “OP” pros on the Bud Pro Tour (all a thing of the past now of course). It’s very reliable and super consistent on both sides of the pier. After two hours of per¬fect barrels and sexy bikini clad women on the beach we took a short drive along the highway to Newport Beach.

Despite only being a couple miles down the road it is just angled a little different and does not always have the same swell or the same even surf height as other spots. Newport Beach is a beach break interspersed with a number of jetties. In front of me hollow peaks were peeling beautifully along the line at 6ft clean, the rest is history.

The following morning we made our way straight to Newport Point. A rare spot at the best of times; why Jeff thought it was going to produce something I don’t know but as he was the local, I was not going to argue. The spot is renown for producing Pipeline style barrels during large Southerly swells and as the tide was Iow all the combinations were perfect for a wave, or so Jeff kept on saying on the short drive to the spot from Huntington.

Well it was not pipeline today, but a good solid 6ft wave breaking right opposite 18th street, what more could we ask for the only problem being that even at 6.30am I could count at least 35 out but what the heck, space for another 2 and having surfed Fistral in Newquay with 500 what is 35! Three hours later and a hundred others in the water, Jeff decides to see if all us Europeans are made of steel… naturally I tell him of course comrade. Off to “The Wedge” we go or at least in the hope of finding a small wave that will totally destroy my longboard.

The Wedge is the world famous freak wave that bodysurfers and body boarders alike simply love, it picks you up, throws you round a bit and then totally puts you in traction if you put a finger wrong. For surfers it’s a nightmare come true, but for long boarders its total suicide. Luckily for me my challenge was to be put off for another time as it only breaks on a big Southerly swell. Of course I did myself proud and made a com¬ment about how lucky it was that I did not embarrass the Californians to have a quality European surfer smoothly drop down the sheer cliff like face and tuck into the mega barrel popping out the end with style and all on my 9ft 2″ robert august board…

Visiting California is a truly enjoyable experience, in the winter it’s still mild 65F to 75F and in the summer it sees temperatures that can exceed 90F. It is such a diverse state that you can surf and snowboard in the same day if you wish and it’s the true modern surf Mecca that really should be top of everyone’s list, it amazes me when everyone heads to other spots round the world before visiting the modern home of surfing – sim¬ply California. So start planning your trip now to one of the many surf spots in California where the modern era of surfing was born!

I travelled with Xoxxi ( http://www.xoxxisurf.com ) which is a surf brand run by regular surfers for regular surfers and they were very helpful in this unique travel surfing experience.  You can also visit the Californian state tourism website at ( http://www.visitcalifornia.com ) for other information on visiting the state.

About the author:
Shannon Burke, is a surfer of 3 decades and has enjoyed surfing all over the world, he is a freelance writer and freelance regular surfer that has a quiver of short boards, longboards, body boards and a paddleboard.