Steamer Lane

Steamer Lane is one of the best surf spots in Southern California. However, since it's located up north in Santa Cruz, the water is a bit chilly (need a 4mm wetsuit year round) and there are "men in grey suits" (aka great white sharks) cruising around the line up. I don't think there's ever been a reported shark attack here... however, with seals chilling on the rocks, you know they are around.

One of the great things about Santa Cruz and Steamer Lane is that it faces south. Therefore, the northwest winds (which are predominant in this area) are offshore at most spots. By facing south, it also helps to groom the giant swells that march down the coast during winter. On this particular day, there was a southwest swell in the water. Some sets were coming in the head high+ range. It looked like a lot of fun... but it was rather inconsistant and bunch of people were sitting at the point. I ended up surfing further south at Pleasure Point instead.

A Windy Afternoon in Santa Cruz

As I was driving back from San Francisco, I decided to stop in Santa Cruz and go for a quick surf. Had I taken the time to think about the logistics, stopping in Santa Cruz was not ideal (since it's just an hour away from where I was staying)... would have made more sense to pick a half way point. Nonetheless, Santa Cruz has some incredible surf spots... and I thought I would check them out. Pictured in this photo is Natural Bridges State Park. This surf spot is great during a big NW swell... but on this particular day (with a dying SW swell), it was not breaking. Nonetheless, it's a beautiful beach and is a great place to watch the sunset.

If you notice in the background, there was a big fog bank just off the coast. It kind of felt like a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean. I kept expecting the Black Pearl to emerge from the fog.