surfing-location and water temp.

[waltdisneymama]

Hello,
My kids would like to surf when we take our Disneyland vacation.They've only surfed once before, at Disney World's Typhoon Lagoon. Could anyone recommend a good place near Disneyland? I'd prefer not to drive - could we take a bus there?

Also, they'd like to surf in warm water, without a wetsuit, if possible. I assume the warmest water is found in July-Aug? Can anyone tell me in which months the water would be warm enough to swim without a wetsuit? Would March or April be okay?

Thank you very much!!

 

[LavenderPeach]

I don't know about places to surf but i do know the temp of the water: cold! California doesn't get the really warm ocean water like you would get in Hawaii or Mexico. I'm sure some people probably surf without a wetsuit in the summer but even then the water is pretty chilly and having lived in California my whole life, I've never gone swimming in the ocean here. I've only waded in and got my feet wet because, to me, it is just too cold to go much further. Maybe someone else has some different insight to give you but I would recommend a wetsuit.

 

[waltdisneymama]

LavenderPeach,
Thanks for making me aware of this! I guess it's all those old songs about California surfing - I just assumed that the water would be really warm there

 

[AmericanItGirl]

The water's cold , but if it's a hot day, the cold water feels good. Best surfing for kids would be Newport Beach because you'd be getting breaks off the Wedge and you won't have to compete with the massive numbers of boogey boarders that swamp the waters at Big Corona (the other beach with breaks from the Wedge). August-early September is best because you have the lowest level of melted glacier/snow water coming from the north.

 

[DLSuperVet]

The water is always cold. If it's hot outside you won't really notice how cold it is. To answer your question there isn't any warm water. It's nothing like Florida. Once you get it the water it's like jumping in a cold pool. You'll get used to it. I only wore wetsuits during Fall and Winter.

There are plenty of good surfing spots. I do agree that the boogie boarders can be problematic but if you're a decent surfer you should be able to go out farther than most locals on a foam board would dare.

Bolsa Chica is a good generic spot. Easy waves and lots of old guys to hang out with.
San Clemente Pier was a favorite of mine. I don't recommend it for beginners though.
Cotton's near Trestles is also fantastic. My dad used to surf there when he was younger and told me about when I started surfing. It's not very well known so it's rarely crowded.

Last but not least is of course Huntington Beach. There's good action year round but the best surf is during Fall and Winter which is especially nice since the crowds are thin. The best breaks are at the pier but you can find good stuff all over. The Santa Ana's really help out as well which is another reason I prefer Fall and Winter to Summer.

 

[kkmcan]

My dd and I wore full body wet suits in July this past year when we did a Surf camp in San Diego. The water was still very cold but with the wet suits we were able to stay out there longer than without one. We probably were out there an hour to an hour and a half before we got so cold.

 

[waltdisneymama]

Thank you very much everyone for all of your information!!