Surf breaks of the Southern California coast, San Diego to Santa Barbara
A local guide to the surf breaks of the Southern California coast and the communities that put you near them, from San Onofre and Trestles to Huntington Beach, Malibu, and Rincon.
Direct answer
The Southern California coast holds some of the most storied surf in the world, and for a buyer who surfs, the break is often the reason for the move. From south to north the marquee breaks are Black's Beach, Windansea, and Swami's in San Diego, San Onofre and Trestles at the Orange County line, Huntington Beach Pier in Surf City, The Wedge and Brooks Street in Orange County, Malibu and El Porto in Los Angeles, and C Street and Rincon, the Queen of the Coast, up by Ventura and Santa Barbara. This guide maps them by region and ties each stretch to the communities you can live in nearby. Ratowsky Group sells from Los Angeles to San Clemente and will introduce you to a Compass specialist for the breaks beyond that.
San Diego County: cliffs, reefs, and longboard points.
San Diego runs from powerful beach breaks under the cliffs to mellow reef and point waves. The county pairs world-class surf with the bluff villages of La Jolla and the beach towns of North County.
Key San Diego surf breaks, and where to live near them
- Black's Beach, La Jolla: a powerful beach break below the Torrey Pines cliffs, near La Jolla and Del Mar
- Windansea, La Jolla: a classic reef break with deep local history, in the heart of La Jolla
- Sunset Cliffs, Point Loma: reef breaks along the bluffs, near Point Loma and Ocean Beach
- Swami's and Cardiff Reef, Encinitas: long, friendly reef and point waves, near Encinitas and Cardiff
- San Elijo and Cardiff, North County: beach-and-reef breaks along the state-beach bluffs, near Cardiff and Solana Beach
- Oceanside Pier and Carlsbad: consistent beach breaks at the north end of the county
Orange County: from Trestles to Surf City.
Orange County is the heart of the corridor for Ratowsky Group, and one of the densest stretches of quality surf in the state. It opens at Trestles on the San Diego line and runs up through Huntington Beach, the original Surf City.
Key Orange County surf breaks, and where to live near them
- San Onofre and Trestles, San Clemente: San O for easy longboard peelers, Lower Trestles for the world-class performance wave, near San Clemente
- T-Street and the San Clemente pier: beach-and-reef peaks below the bluff town of San Clemente
- Doheny and Salt Creek, Dana Point: a gentle longboard wave at Doheny, a stronger beach break at Salt Creek, near Dana Point and Monarch Beach
- Brooks Street, Laguna Beach: a reef-and-point wave with a long longboard tradition, in the cove town of Laguna
- The Wedge, Newport Beach: the famous bodysurf and bodyboard wave at the harbor jetty, on the Balboa Peninsula
- Huntington Beach Pier, Surf City USA: the beach break that hosts the US Open of Surfing, the center of our home market
- Bolsa Chica, Sunset Beach, and Seal Beach: the north Orange County beach breaks near Huntington Harbour and Seal Beach
Los Angeles and the South Bay: points and beach breaks.
Los Angeles County reaches from the South Bay beach breaks up to the legendary point at Malibu. This is the northern end of where Ratowsky Group sells directly.
Key Los Angeles surf breaks, and where to live near them
- El Porto, Manhattan Beach: a powerful, consistent beach break, in the South Bay beach cities
- Malibu, First Point and Surfrider: the iconic right point break, near Malibu and Pacific Palisades
- Topanga and Sunset Point: cobblestone point waves along the Malibu-adjacent coast
- County Line, the Los Angeles and Ventura border: an open beach-and-point stretch at the county line
Ventura and Santa Barbara: the great right points.
North of Los Angeles the coast bends and the long right points begin, capped by Rincon, the Queen of the Coast. This is country Justin knows from his school years in Santa Barbara, and it's served through a Compass introduction rather than sold directly.
Key Ventura and Santa Barbara surf breaks
- C Street, Ventura: the long right point off California Street in downtown Ventura
- Rincon, the Ventura and Santa Barbara county line: the Queen of the Coast, a world-class right point
- Campus Point, Isla Vista: the reef-and-point wave below UC Santa Barbara, where Justin went to school
- Sandspit and the Santa Barbara harbor: a fast harbor-mouth wave near the Santa Barbara waterfront
- Hammonds and Miramar, Montecito: the Montecito points, tightly held and local
Where we can put you near the waves.
If the wave is the reason for the move, the search starts at the break and works inland. Ratowsky Group sells the coast from Los Angeles to San Clemente, so for Surf City and the Huntington Beach breaks, the Orange County points from Trestles to Salt Creek, Malibu, and the South Bay, we can put you in the right community directly.
For the San Diego cliffs and reefs, or the Ventura and Santa Barbara points, Justin knows the water first-hand and will introduce you to a community-specific Compass agent so you land in the right neighborhood near the right wave.
Surf City USA
Huntington Beach, the center of Ratowsky Group's home market and host of the US Open of Surfing
Ratowsky Group
“For a lot of buyers the break is the whole point of the move. We start at the wave and work inland, and from Trestles to Surf City to Malibu we can put you right there. Up in Santa Barbara, where I went to school, I will hand you to someone I trust.”
Justin Ratowsky, Realtor®, DRE #02026158
Frequently asked
Questions buyers and sellers ask first.
What are the best surf breaks in Southern California?
Where should I live to be near good surf in Orange County?
Is Huntington Beach good for surfing?
What's Trestles?
What's Rincon?
Can Ratowsky Group help me buy near a surf break outside Orange County?
Keep exploring
Communities
- Huntington Harbour Five man-made islands, a Mainland strip, and the only true deep-water residential boating community on the Orange County coast.
- Seacliff Master-planned coastal luxury on the bluff above Bolsa Chica, gated estates, country-club golf frontage, and the largest single-family lots inside Huntington Beach.
Local, no pressure
Want to live near your wave?
Tell us the break you surf and we'll map the communities within reach of it, from Surf City to Trestles to Malibu, and connect you with the right Compass specialist for the San Diego and Santa Barbara coast.
Ratowsky Group at Compass. Craig Ratowsky DRE #00608046, Justin Ratowsky DRE #02026158. Compass DRE #01991628. This page is general information, not tax, legal, or financial advice. For pricing, timing, or negotiation specific to your property, have a direct conversation with Craig and Justin. Equal Housing Opportunity.