HIDDEN GEMS - 5 LESSER KNOWN WAVES IN SAN DIEGO TO BEAT THE CROWD

Introduction

DISCLAIMER: none of the waves in this article are only reachable by boat, or novelty waves, or once a year San Diego secrets. All of these are available on Surfline and are hardly secret spots. This is merely a list of waves you can enjoy in San Diego on a Saturday morning when you know the hot spots are going to be a madhouse. So don’t come slash our tires if you see us in the parking lot. We hesitated for years for posting this, but think it is time to let it out. So enjoy.

Tamarack - Carlsbad

Easy access, a fun wave that breaks left and right, and a mellow crowd. Tamarack is right off the five at the end of Tamarack blvd. The crowd is mellow and usually pretty sparse. If the northside is too crowded, walk over to the southside and surf the right-hander that is so mellow it is almost comical. 

Tamarack is sand bottom. So your only real hazard is the jetty rocks. Summer months are your best bet for Tamarack because it picks up SW swells best. Middle to low tide is also when it works best. At high tide it turns into a fun body-surfing wave that breaks super shallow. 

Oceanside Harbor

Oceanside Harbor is home to an enormous beach that leads right up to the inlet for the fishing boats coming in and out everyday. There are the obvious waves that bounce off the north and south jettys. There are also sandbars that form in between all the time. Sit on the beach and watch for 20 minutes before and you’ll find them easily. The locals at Oside Harbor are serious and talented. If you’re respectful and smart they will leave you alone. 

A nice thing about Oceanside Harbor is the parking. There is a parking lot with meters that can hold a lot of cars. So it’s rare you have to hoof it very far. It picks up most swells but is a little smaller on north swells than the rest of the county. So when the XXL swells are closing out all over, Oceanside can serve as a nice alternative. 

Another cool thing about Oside Harbor is the actual harbor. When you get done surfing, walk over to the boat harbor. You can see the daily haul from some of the captains, and see what is biting. I saw a guy who had caught 3 mako sharks “about half a mile outside” according to him. Had them lined up in his truck bed. Makes you feel a little vulnerable. 

11th Street - Del Mar

11th Street in Del Mar is about as easy and soft of a wave that San Diego has to offer. It’s a soft reef break that is very flat. There are days it’s tough to paddle into on a short board because the waves are so fat sometimes. When it gets big enough it can create some of the longest rides in the county. 

The crowd is mostly long-boarders and mid-length older guys. Mix in some Del Mar high school kids and you can tell you’re not really going to have any problems. The trickiest part is getting down the cliff. Erosion has done a number on the trail to get down and it seems more and more unstable each time we visit. There was a collapse a few years ago. Once you catch one of the long peelers from the outside, you won’t worry about it anymore though. 

Turn off the 101 onto 11th street. Park at the bottom of the hill wherever you can find parking. Cross the train tracks and keep an eye out for the trail a little north of the street. 

Green Awnings - Mission Beach

The stretch of beach from Pacific Beach Point to Mission Beach jetty has a lot of little locally-named waves that change from generation to generation. Green-Awnings was what our generation called the sandbar just south of Santa Clara Place. If you start there and walk south on the boardwalk you will see a vacation rental with, you guessed it, green awnings. The sand in this area moves throughout the year, but you can almost always count on there being a few bars between Santa Clara Place and San Juan Place to the south. San Juan even creates almost a point-break-like left on south swells that can provide some really fun waves during the summer. 

The crowd here is friendly and spread out. There are plenty of waves to share and you will see folks moving from north to south as the swell develops. Keep an eye out for whoever is having the most fun. Follow them. You may even see a local big-wave surfer Albee Layer doing 360 rotos in 2-3 foot surf while you’re out there. He and his friends will paddle out and remind you what a professional surfer looks like. 

Green Wall - La Jolla

Speaking of green, Green Wall at La Jolla Shores can be one of the easiest and most fun waves in San Diego for all ability levels. With Scripps to the north always being packed, and La Jolla Shores to the south swarmed in, Green Wall can be a nice wave-finder if you’re in La Jolla. Park in the Shores parking lot and walk north. You will see a little patch of green paint fading on the sea wall. Paddle out from there. 

Green Wall works on north, west and south swells. Although like most La Jolla waves northwest and west swells are the best. The crowd is typical La Jolla. Everything from the worst surfing kooks on the planet to Josh Kerr and La Jolla kids practicing airs. It is a beach break. It breaks more left than right. It delivers a lot of waves. During late summer bring your snorkeling gear and go swim with the leopard sharks to the south in the cove. 

When you’re done surfing head over to Avenida De La Playa and eat at Jeff’s Burgers. Then hit the Cheese Shop across the street for some manchego or international candies. They also have incredible sandwiches. It is La Jolla so you might as well take your time. You know the traffic is going to suck getting in or out.