California Surf Spots

Many know California because of its infamous coast… beach towns, Big Sur, Monterey Bay and the Golden Gate. There are also the well known cities like LA, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and San Francisco. But just out of sight for most residents and visitors alike are the many surf spots that run from the Mexican border to Oregon. These all have names too. Most known only to the local surfers but some, like Mavericks, Zuma Beach, Malibu, Laguna Beach, Mission Beach have become more widely known. Some like Long Beach became known for the wrong reason as the location for Baywatch. Most surf spots correspond to coastal landmarks like creeks, points and state parks. A few like, Lover’s Point, Shit Pipe, The Wedge, Supertubes, give hints to what the break is known for. The names that make up a place become a kind of ad-hoc poem of that place. I’m a mapmaker not a surfer. I made the map because I love the California coast and wanted to celebrate and otherwise invisible part of the amazing state that is California.