With a couple groms I'm responsible for, teaching them to surf hasn't been an easy task. Gone are the days of throwing them into 10' shorebreak at Marine Street and letting them figure out; child protective services would be all over me like a fly on... you get the point.
So where do you take a true beginner to learn how to surf so they don't get sucked out to sea their first time out? Well, taking into consideration tides, topography, and swell height, Professor Michael has it all figured out for you. Now when I say 'beginner', I mean BEGINNER. Like a grom learning how to stand up, a place you can take your grandma too (yes, even grandma's surf now). Once your grom can stand up, wiggle, paddle back out, and duck dive, they don't need your help. Throw 'em to the wolves at Swami's by that point. I'm talking about waves that are knee high, slow, and you won't tick off the locals by sitting in the impact zone. This is not a definitive list- heck- most every beach is a beginner's wave when the surf is only 1', but here's a guide when there's a little bit of swell running and you need a safe place to take your 5 year old out (or 50 year old) for some dribblers.
First up- the stretch of beach in front of the power plant in Carlsbad. It's a unique stretch of beach- especially on a S or SW swell. As the swells march down the beach, they tend to focus on the reefs at Terramar and Tamarack and the leftovers lap into the beaches in front of the power plant. Sand bottom, little waves, and plenty of space. A good spot for groms. Beware though the stingrays that congregate in front of the warm water coming out from the jetties.
Another spot that's affected by nearby bathymetry is south Ponto beach. Waves tend to focus on the sandbars in front of the jetties and also the reef to the south at Grandview, so the south Ponto is always a couple feet smaller. Sand bottom again and plenty of parking. This wave tends to be a little more dumpy so make sure to teach your kid how NOT TO pearl!
Next up is probably one of the best waves to teach beginners on- the creek at Cardiff. Even on the biggest days on the reef, the creek is one of the safest places to learn. As the waves break outside on the reef with the longboarders, stand up crew, hipsters, and Rob Machado, the energy dissipates and what's left is tiny peelers rolling into the creek for the groms to get their groove on. A couple disclaimers though- don't surf the creek after a rain! That goes without saying. Secondly- surf it on an incoming tide- not outgoing. Outgoing means the river starts flowing out of the creek and your kids get swept down the beach. Of special note- the creek at Del Mar which separates the cities of Solana Beach and Del Mar is another option (i.e. Dog Beach)- but the water quality is a little suspect due to all the dogs doing their thing on the beach and the horses doing their thing upstream...
Moving further down the coast is another spot vying for #1 beginners spot: La Jolla Shores. Right out in front of the park. This beach faces N, so in the summer time, S swells march right past this stretch of coast and it's FLAT. Almost too flat for even beginners. And the winter time is almost no different. Huh? If it faces N, how come it doesn't pick up W, NW, or N swells?! It's due to the lesser known of the 2 submarine canyons in La Jolla. Black's Beach we all know has the world famous canyon which funnels Aleutian juice into 20' A-frames in the winter time. The other canyon is directly pointed at the lifeguard tower at La Jolla Shores.
So why is it flat in front of the lifeguard tower while 100 yards up the beach it's 8' at Scripps Pier? As the swells march towards the coast and encounter the canyon, they start to bend to feel the canyon wall and make a left turn towards the pier- pretty much avoiding the south end of the beach. I've actually run down here on massive winter swells when the rest of the coast is 12-15' and closed out and La Jolla shores is 3' and gutless. Plus there's the bonus of seeing schools of harmless 2' leopard sharks underneath your grom as they stand up on their first wave! So if you're wondering if the same phenomenon happens at the canyon at Blacks- it does- just in front of the 'road' trail on the south end of the beach. But I wouldn't advise lugging your grom down to Blacks with all your gear- it's a brutal hike.
And if you're feeling really adventurous, head to south county and set up shop at Tourmaline Beach in north Pacific Beach. And when I say Tourmaline, I'm not talking about the waves in front of the road that leads down the hill to the beach, but rather the little corner tucked away at the north end- pretty much the inside of PB Point. Reason being is that Tourmaline gets fairly crowded and PB Point picks up a fair amount of swell- so you don't want either of those options. But the little corner up the beach has tiny waves, less of a crowd, and plenty of time to get to your feet on the slow rollers. The only downside is this little corner tends to not circulate the water all that well and your left with piles of seaweed from time to time.
So there you have it, the definitive surf spot guide for beginners. Just one less chance of your grom getting eaten by a shark, hit in the head with their board, or harassed by a grumpy local!
