Our Top 10 Rated Favorite Surf Spots

Hopefully, as we travel more we will add more favorite spots to our list. This is our list so far.

I will be posting our favorite surf spots in sections, 3 spots at a time starting with 10 down to the number 1 spot as its own post. Disclaimer: These surf spot ratings are based on our surf experiences and not by popular vote.

#10
Long Sands, York ME
When Jacob and I were getting married, we drove all over New Hampshire to find an ocean front spot. We didn’t find anything that truly fit what we wanted. We continued up the coast to Maine and found a great ocean front spot at Dockside Guest Quarters. We had an awesome wedding and they even let us bring kayaks on to their property. We kayaked away from our wedding in our wedding attire and then paddled around the area with all our friends!

The day after we got married we wanted to have a “First Surf as Married Couple Surf Session.” Thankfully there was a perfect surf break five minutes down the road in York, ME called Long Sands. We had surfed there a couple of times when we were looking for a wedding area and thought that this would be the perfect surf session after the wedding. We invited our friends to surf with us as well. It was really special because the guy that taught me how to surf also surfed with us!

As far as the break goes, it is beach break and gets great surf in the fall and winter. The summer time the surf is small and mushy mostly but sometimes kicks up. The crowd is minimal and the locals are really friendly. The water isn’t any colder than New Hampshire.

#9
36th Street – Santa Cruz, CA
The people and vibe in Northern California was awesome. We went to a surf spot recommended by the owner of Paradise Surf Shop. We didn’t know where to go since we had never been there and didn’t know anyone from that area. We were only able to surf for one day because we were busy with other things.

There was a huge crowd on Tuesday mid-afternoon in November. I don’t think I have seen that many people in the line up since Wakiki, HI. Even though there was a big crowd, I was able to catch some great rides. The surf was shoulder high and it wasn’t cold for a November day. It felt like a nice summer day in New England.

#8
Venice Beach, CA
During one of our spring breaks in college, Jacob and I went to Los Angeles, CA to visit his cousin who also surfs. His cousin brought us to a bunch of surf breaks. From the ones I can remember, we surfed El Porto, Zuma, Sunset, Malibu, and Venice. This was our first time out of New England and flying with our surf boards. For me, it was the surf trip that hooked me on the combination of surfing, traveling and finding the perfect longboard wave. It was so exciting and exhilarating to see what another surf town looked like.

All the places that we surfed in the LA area were great. Venice may have made the biggest impression on us because we stayed at a place right on Venice Beach. We did double sessions every day. A morning session at Venice and then a sunset session at a different spot that Jacob’s cousin took us to. We also saw dolphins while we were surfing at Venice. I remember Venice being a colorful town with different artists and had a lot of character. It was interesting to see the old canals (fashioned after Venice, Italy) that were built into the city. We also visited the Zephyr store that use to be run by Jeff Ho. We even bought Zephyr t-shirts as souvenirs.

I think what makes a great surfing spot or experience are the memories that are made and the waves that were caught. These three spots definitely remind me of some of the happiest moments and that is why they are included in the list.

There are more surf spots to come!

Spread the Swell,
J-Bird