LOOSE / Spot guides / santa cruz surf spots
surf guide · santa cruz, ca
Santa Cruz surf spots, by skill level
Santa Cruz is a World Surfing Reserve (approved in 2011) with more than 23 surf spots. Some of them welcome beginners and some really don't. Here's how to choose.
The water is cold and the reefs are crowded, so wear a wetsuit and surf within your level. City lifeguards cover Cowell Beach to the San Lorenzo River: daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and on weekends in spring and fall.
Beginners
Cowell's (Cowell Beach)
21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Long, gentle waves made for longboards. It's the spot everyone knows is for new surfers, so it's crowded but usually polite. Only city-permitted surf schools may teach here, and their students wear colored vests: Adventure Out (red), Club Ed (blue), Richard Schmidt (purple) and Surf School Santa Cruz (gray). The beach is closed from midnight to one hour before sunrise.
Capitola Jetty
San Jose Ave & Esplanade, Capitola, CA 95010
Local guides rate it great for beginners, with longboard waves when conditions allow.
Intermediate
Pleasure Point
E Cliff Dr & 36th Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Local guides say it's good for beginners on less crowded days. Busy days bring a mix of every level.
Experts only (go and watch)
Steamer Lane
West Cliff Dr at Lighthouse Point, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Four breaks in one: The Point, Middle Peak, The Slot and Indicators. It's hazardous, the localism is strong, and the best seat is on the cliff at Lighthouse Point. The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum is right there, inside the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse (701 West Cliff Dr). It's open Thursday to Monday from noon (to 4 p.m. off-season, 5 p.m. in summer) and closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
Also experts-only per local guides: The Hook and 30th & East Cliff.
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Sources
Facts on this page come from these public sources (checked Oct 2026). The wording is our own.