Surf Guide for South Beach, Crescent City, CA.

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South Beach

Crescent City is the largest city in Del Norte County, and South Beach is it's most popular surf spot. It is right off highway one, which is the same as Highway 101 in these parts. You can park in the parking lots and streets that run beside the beach leading north toward the harbor. The harbor's south jetty forms the north end of South Beach.

It's typical beach break with decent sandbars. It's main benefit is the SW facing angle. This means the dominant NW west winds will blow sideshore instead of hard onshore, much like the Half Moon Bay Jetty. It's not that it is epic but it's the best bet for the average surfer travelling in this area. I surfed here with sloppy swell, hard-ass NW sideshore winds, and grey gloom and doom in the skies and sea. What I first thought would be a total waste of time turned into a suprisingly decent session, with multiple sections connecting to the most of the way to shore. I was the only one out and the few times I have been through I have never seen more than a handful of people in the water.

Satellite image of South Beach showing south to southwest angle.

Crescent City itself seems pretty grim economically. Besides the forest service and watching prisoners at the Big "Q", the only major employment seems to be the declining fishing industry. That probably explains the lack of crowds but also explains the lack of large crowds. For those that have a job, it must be nice to living by a redwood forest slammed agains the Pacific.

For lodging there is the modest Crescent Beach Motel. You can walk out your door to the surf from there. Seven miles south of Crescent City is the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park and is a good option for camping.

Nearby Surf Shops

Rhyn Noll Surf & Skate, 275 L Street, Crescent City CA 95531(707) 465-4400

South Beach Outfitters, 128 Anchor Way, Crescent City CA 95531 (707) 464-2963

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What Other Visitors Have Said

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the longest ride......
Some years ago I was making a pilgrimage from southern Cal to Oregon along the coast in late Sept. About 9:00 I came down the redwood hill on 101 and ...

Sacred South Beach Not rated yet
South Beach is a stretch of beach nearly unscathed or ravaged by man and/or machine. Starting on the south end of Crescent City's Harbor; South Beach extends ...

February in Crescent City Not rated yet
This is a very helpful review.

I was wondering if you knew what the conditions are like in February Crescent City South Beach. Good? Fair? I am used ...

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