Huntington Beach: Bring Your Surfboard

You dont have to be an Oakley team rider to catch a wave at Huntington Beach. These smooth waters, are great for first timers. One of GoNOMAD’S writers, Max Hartshorne, had the oppertunity to slip into a wetsuit and sample the waves. Read more about his trip below from Huntington Beach: A Surfer’s City:

“Huntington Beach California is the ultimate surfer’s paradise. The eight and a half mile long stretch of beach in this city of about 200,000, south of Los Angeles is lit up at night with campfires.

Nowhere else in California’s long coast can you legally build a campfire and sit by the warm glow like this.

The waves are steady, and just about perfect for riding. And the surf breaks pretty far out, so when you catch a wave, you’re in for a long ride to shore.

I paid a visit to this Southern California city in February, en route to Australia, and did what many people do when they come here. I donned a wetsuit, got on a surfboard and tried to stand up.

My luck wasn’t as good as I had hoped, and the waves were tough, crashing down on me and rolling me over.

While my experience learning to surf in Surf City proved that it takes a lot more than a few hours to learn this ancient art, there is much to explore and a wonderfully laid back atmosphere here that I discovered later that day.

The best way to see this sprawling city by the sea is either by bike, blade or four-wheel pedal bike. I rented a nice beach cruiser at Zack’s Beach Resorts, right near the city pier, where they charged me $10 for one hour. You can keep the bike for an entire day for $30.

On Saturday mornings you can join an organized “Fun Roll,” for a 16-mile round trip skate from Huntington Beach Pier to Newport Beach. It’s at a nice and easy pace for all ages and bicyclists are welcome to join the wheeled throng. The group meets afterward for lunch at Huntington Beach.

Huntington Beach is well known for its dog-friendliness, and was recently voted one of the most pet-friendly cities around the world by Fido Friendly Magazine. There is even a special doggie bus that offers bus service every weekend for any dog owner to Huntington Dog Beach.

In 2009 the city celebrates a milestone — 100 years of existence — and the events include “1000 Surfboards in the Sand. ” This will be a visual art project on the beach that will use surfboards brought in by the public lined up 1000 strong on the beach. A chalk art contest, concerts and many other activities will be held during 2009 to commemorate the one city’s 100th birthday. “

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