Surfing is central to Encinitas life and identity. The city's best-known wave, Swami's, is a right-hand point break, the only one of its kind in North County, and it is mentioned in the Beach Boys' "Surfin' U.S.A."[1][2] South of it, Cardiff Reef, Pipes and Seaside Reef offer smooth, consistent reef waves, and Leucadia's cliff-backed beaches add quieter beach breaks.[3]
Swami's
Swami's takes its name from Paramahansa Yogananda, because the Self-Realization Fellowship grounds and hermitage, built in 1937, overlook the reef. The name began as surfers' slang and was later adopted officially, including for the cliff-top park formerly called Seacliff Roadside Park.[1]
The break is best in good winter swells. It is open to all levels but known as a high-performance wave for longboards and shortboards, and longboarders usually dominate the lineup. Bodyboarding is rare because the crowd competes hard for the limited waves that arrive in sets every few minutes.[1] The main peak is several hundred yards out, so the paddle demands above-average fitness. Most surfers paddle out from the south, in front of the lifeguard tower, and go around through the deep-water channel. Experienced surfers sometimes walk 200 yards north and take a rougher shortcut known as "paddling out through the back door".[1] Local professionals including Rob Machado and Taylor Knox surf there.[1]
Cardiff breaks
Cardiff Reef ("The Reef") has waves that professionals and beginners enjoy year round. From a handful of surfers in the 1950s it has grown into one of San Diego County's most popular spots. With nearby Pipes and Seaside Reef, it is known for smooth, consistent wave shape.[3] Pipes is the surfers' name for the sand beach south of Swami's that runs to the San Elijo campground access.[1] San Elijo State Beach also has a reef popular with snorkellers and divers.[4]
Moonlight Beach and Leucadia
Five-time women's world champion Linda Benson learned to surf at Moonlight Beach in the late 1950s. She has said it was once a fun longboard beach break but now breaks hard and fast, more of a shortboard wave. It works best on a southwest swell with a rising tide, and the sandbars strongly affect quality.[5] Leucadia's secluded beaches below steep bluffs, including Beacon's, are part of the area's surf culture.[6][7]
Seasons and water
Winter brings the biggest swells, which suit Swami's.[1] Water temperatures average about 60 °F in winter, 64 °F in spring, 70 °F in summer and 66 °F in fall, so most surfers wear wetsuits for much of the year.[2] See climate.
Surf culture and events
The Switchfoot Bro-Am, a free surf contest and music festival usually held in early July at Moonlight State Beach, includes the world's only surf-jousting competition, and its proceeds go to local charities.[2] The Surfing Madonna mosaic, showing the Virgin of Guadalupe on a surfboard with the words "Save the Ocean", inspired the Surfing Madonna Oceans Project nonprofit, which has given nearly $600,000 to ocean, beach, park and humanitarian programmes.[8] The Cardiff Kook statue, whose surfing form locals mocked as a "wannabe", has become an affectionate local icon.[2]
Etiquette and safety
Crowded lineups at Swami's and Cardiff Reef follow standard right-of-way etiquette: the surfer closest to the peak has priority, and paddling around the break rather than through it is expected. Beginners usually do better at beach breaks or on smaller days at Cardiff. Lifeguards staff Swami's and Moonlight towers in summer.[1][5] After heavy rain, runoff can affect water quality, so check county advisories.[5]
Common questions
- Is Swami's good for beginners?
- Swami's accepts all levels, but it is a crowded, high-performance point break with a long paddle. Beginners usually start at beach breaks or on small days at Cardiff Reef.
- Why is it called Swami's?
- After Paramahansa Yogananda, the swami whose Self-Realization Fellowship hermitage, built in 1937, overlooks the break.
- When is the best surf in Encinitas?
- Winter swells bring the best conditions at Swami's; Cardiff Reef works year round.
See also
Notes and sources
- Swami's. Wikipedia.
- Encinitas, California. Wikipedia.
- Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Encinitas, California. Wikipedia.
- San Elijo State Beach. Wikipedia.
- Moonlight State Beach. Wikipedia.
- Leucadia, Encinitas, California. Wikipedia.
- Leucadia State Beach. Wikipedia.
- Surfing Madonna. Wikipedia.