Expert: Steve Summers - 6/18/2006

Question
Hi Steve,

I live in the Valley and have out-of-state visitors coming in late July.  We would like to camp on the beach (4 in a tent and 6 in an RV) and also surf.

I have heard great things about Carpinteria, but the website doesn't mention surfing being allowed.  Is this a simple omission?  If so, do you have another recommendation?

Answer
Hi Dirk,

You can surf at Carpinteria, I've seen them surfing out there. However, If I was a surfer, I'd drive about 2 miles down highway 101 to Rincon Point. It's SO famous, it even rated a line in the second verse of "Surfin' Safari":
"In Huntington and Malibu they're shooting the pier,
At Rincon, they're walking the nose"
It is a rare occurence NOT to see at least a dozen surfers in the water at Rincon when I drive up the coast to Carp (which, as you might guess, I do a LOT). Even my five year old knows that when she sees the surfers, we're just a couple minutes from camping.
There's also a nice surf shop called Matt Moore's Rincon Designs in town on Linden Avenue. You can usually find Matt or his son there (if they're not out surfing, that is).

Hang loose,

Steve