Surfers Guide To Beacons Beach

Beacon's Beach is a great place to surf.

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The wave

Wave surfing at Beacon’s is perfect for improving your patience. Scientific studies show the mean period between waves, on good days, is about 55 minutes – giving you a chance to reflect on how much free time you have in your life and anticipate the arrival of the next wave, with a few hundred of your best friends. Another advantage to surfing Beacon’s is you can improve your interpersonal skills as this is the only peak in a 20 mile stretch and it is always crowded. You can make a lot of friends due to the close proximity to other wave riders. Locals love to boast that the only place more crowded than our line-up is I-5 at rush hour after a heavy rainstorm. You quickly become accustomed to the small dings you wing get in your board as the density increases; here the advantage is that the local ding repair industry is the largest in the nation and keeps about 10% of the gang members off the streets. Anger management skills are also improved as tensions between between longboarders and shortboarders now rarely result in serious maiming. The shortboarders consider themselves very lucky to average a wave every 3-4 months.

The local lineup

While most days the waves are called ‘6-12’ by locals (that is 6-12 inches), on the good days, the break can be an epic 1-2 feet and sloppy, with closeout sections. On these days, because the wave is so big and challenging, only about 10 percent of the regular Beacons surfers will venture out, so the main peak will have just 400-500 surfers. The camaraderie at Beacon’s is further exemplified by watching 35-45 surfers share one of the 1-2 monster waves. It puts a chill down my spine just telling you that. The locals like to share as well. Many surfers will go out of their way to tell you a story about your significant other that you may not have already heard.

Water

The Pacific Ocean, off of Beacon’s, has a mysterious ocean current that somehow transports the refreshingly cold waters from the Aleutian Islands, and gently guides 40 degree water to our local break, 365 days a year. The water is clear allowing you to view the ocean bottom at up 2-3 feet. The native Indians are have said to caustic properties of the water at Beacon’s which has lead to a thriving metal stripping business.

The weather

The tight parking situation at Beacon’s has an advantage as well. Since the small parking lot is always full, you can typically park within 1-2 miles of the break which will help improve your aerobic conditioning. Additionally, your coordination will be enhanced as you hop and step over the thousands of broken beer bottle pieces that lead to your favorite break. Some of the friendly locals have even been known to clean your car while you surf, often opening your car doors and trunk to clean and remove any unwanted item, old CD’s or clothing you that is no longer needed by you.

Parking

Beacon’s also has its own unique climate. In winter the air temperature averages 44 degrees, while in summer it is surprisingly humid and 48 degrees. Another bonus is that rain only falls during the day so your surfboard can get washed while you are in the line-up. The heavy onshore wind only blows hard from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. The advantage of this wind, gusting 25-35 knots everyday, is that your hair will dry very quickly.

Animal life

The ocean is very safe here. There are not more than 5-7 Great White shark attacks per month. Plus the dozens of packs of wild dogs help keep the beach free of bird guano. So if you are an avid surfer, you can see why it is such a great place to surf with thousands of your surfing friends..