How to Find a Good Place to Surf

Finding a good place to surf can be a challenge at times. Especially when you drive down to your favorite surf spot on a day when you know the waves are going to be great and it so crowded that you would probably never even get a wave to yourself. How many times has this happened to me, where I am all ready to surf and
it to crowded. So I have always had back up surf spots so to speak. First off most of the surfers in the area know every break and claim to know when the conditions are best for a productive surfing session. This isn't always the case check out all the surf-breaks in your area.

I still remember a place in Hawaii that the locals said never broke and was infested with sharks. I still checked it out on low tides, incoming, out going and high tides. I checked it out when I thought the wave might be in there. I surfed it for several years and it was one of the most secluded and hardest breaking spots that I have ever seen. Seldom did I see another surfer at this break. I could not encourage any of my friends to surf there, so I usually had to entice a non-surfer to tag along and sit on the shore and watch. I wouldn't recommend doing this because if you get in trouble the non-surfer will probably not be much help and where this remote break was there were no rescue crews. Even when I was surfing California I found surf breaks that were either to far for the surfers to walk or were considered not good enough to bother with. I would study maps of the area and explore on foot. I was careful not to go on any private property or upset any residents while I was looking for a new uncrowded spot. When I lived and surfed in Washington state, I was also told that the surf was not good enough to bother with. This coming from non-surfers of course. I explored the Olympic Peninsula and found so many surf breaks. Many of the residents claimed that they had never seen a surfer in the water in their area. This never has stopped me. Use common sense, talk to the fisherman in the area and you can usually get a better idea than talking to just regular residents that seldom enter the water.

If I am serious about an area and I have already figured out when it breaks and how the tide effects the currents. I normally visit the break when its flat first, I paddle out and take a look at the break. I check for sharks and submerged objects that may hinder my surfing experience. Think safety ! One time I found this great break but we had to drive on the beach to get to it, which was legal in the area. The tide was coming in and we misjudged it so much that when we came out of the water our car was almost floating, no kidding. We were so fortunate to get off the beach with out losing our car. Great surf break by the way, It was well worth what we had to go through to surf it. Exploring surf-breaks is fun when you are considerate of other peoples properties and you make safety a priority.