Cold Water California

This is a guest field note article written by our friend Dave Allee of Almond Surfboards

When most of the country thinks of “California surfing,” they picture Malibu in July or a packed lineup at Huntington Beach.

Palm trees. Tan lines. Crowded boardwalks.

But a lot of California’s 800 miles of coastline looks different.

It’s 4/3s in September. Booties in the winter. Fog. Rocks. Shifting sandbars. And regular reminders that the Pacific isn’t small water.

Today we’re tipping our surf cap to that version of California — the colder stretches that have shaped a different kind of surfer.

Mavericks

Even if you’ve never surfed, you’ve heard of Mavericks.

It sits off Pillar Point near Half Moon Bay, breaking over a shallow reef when long-period winter swells roll in from the North Pacific. It doesn’t break every day. And when it does, it’s not casual. Deep water energy bending onto one spot.

This isn’t summer beach culture. It’s storm tracking. Buoy watching. Waiting.

Most of us will never paddle out there. But Mavericks changed what people thought was possible on this coastline. That matters.

Half Moon Bay

Just down from Mavericks, the broader Half Moon Bay coastline offers a different version of cold water California.

It’s exposed. Wind-sensitive. It picks up northwest swell all winter. More accessible than Mavericks, sure — but still honest ocean. It’s exposed, mostly sand, and not always great. But when it turns on, it turns on.

It’s a reminder that California isn’t all postcard surf towns.

Santa Cruz

To say Santa Cruz has its own surf culture is underselling it.

From Steamer Lane to Pleasure Point, this stretch of Monterey Bay collects west and northwest swell especially well in the fall and winter. Steamer Lane has long been a proving ground — performance, power, history. There’s a surf museum in the lighthouse above it for a reason.

Some historians point to 1885 as one of the earliest documented mainland California surfing moments — when Hawaiian princes surfed the mouth of the San Lorenzo River using redwood boards — making Santa Cruz one of the birthplaces of the sport in the state.

Plenty of folks argue Santa Cruz deserves the title “Surf City, USA.” Most locals probably don’t feel the need to argue at all.

San Francisco

San Francisco isn’t the first place outsiders think of as a surf town. But Ocean Beach alone earns its place in the conversation.

It’s a powerful, shifting beach break that thrives on long-period northwest swell. Sandbars move. Rips are real. Conditions can change in an hour.

On a good day, it’s world-class. On a bad one, it reminds you who’s in charge.

And then there’s Fort Point. On the right tide and swell, waves wrap beneath the Golden Gate Bridge in a way that feels almost out of scale. From the water, the bridge is massive. Bigger than you expect.

San Francisco surf culture was shaped by cold water and early wetsuit innovation. It’s never been easy. That’s part of its identity.

Bolinas

North of the city, Bolinas sits tucked into Marin County. You don’t really stumble into it — you decide to go.

Originally a fishing village, later a counterculture outpost, Bolinas has always guarded its quiet reputation. The wave is more protected than the open coast. Often better when the tide fills in and the bars cooperate. Softer. More approachable. Still cold.

It represents the quieter side of cold water California — the one that values community and keeping things a little under the radar.

If you’re there, stop into 2 Mile Surf Shop. It fits.