bluenoser wrote:
Summer is good though right? Do you folks think the surf is significantly better in southern Oregon? How about Santa Cruz or San Diego? Hope those aren't bad words here on the Oregon surf forum. I can deal with crowds if necessary. I'd take crowds over poor surf conditions any day.
Summer can be as disappointing as winter, but for different reasons (ankle slappers, kook/hipster beach blanket bingo soft-top longboard party waves any day the sun is out, the compulsory dude with an acoustic guitar, a cooler of Pabst, and a beat up garage-sale 5'11" thruster missing a side fin under his arm at Short Sands, etc., etc.).
As far as points south go, I grew up surfing S.Cal (San Diego and Orange Counties,) and I wouldn't trade the wave quality down there for the the crowds and BS you have to deal with. Yeah you have to work a bit harder up here, and seeing how it's just going off everywhere else in the damn country but here right now is absolute torture...
All said I think overall the surfing experience up here is more rewarding. Granted I'm over 40 and don't really shred, have kids and a busy life, etc., so my lens on surfing and what I get out of it are relative with that (I'm *not* a logger though...
) I've only been surfing Oregon for 3 years now, but this winter has been hands-down the worst quality-wise since I got back in the water for what it's worth.