The Official OBSF Support Group

[Subway]

A USCG captain did that exact thing on a big clean hurricane swell at montauk point several years ago. However, said captain didn’t have PERMISSION to go out and repeatedly slam the taxpayers multi-million dollar toy into 20+ foot breaking waves, and I believe he was dishonorably discharged or something pretty damn serious

im not saying it’s not worthwhile training that many crews rarely get to do, but uh, better check with your superiors first

 

[JLW]

I've been surfing Ocean Beach since about 2007. Certainly not as long as some people in this forum, but long enough to have a good understanding of the whole experience. Overall, I think Ocean Beach is wildly over-rated. When it's big and "perfect" (I use the term loosely), the odds of you actually catching a great wave are slim. You're lucky to get 3 or 4 waves in an hour. I think it could work a lot better if you had a jet ski...not because the waves are too big to paddle into, but positioning is absolute hell.

Even when it looks really epic, the paddle out and the lack of a defined peak really makes it annoying to surf. And a lot of the waves bend out to sea or mush out. The rights flatten out. The lefts usually pinch. It's a barrel that is very unpredictable and difficult to negotiate. I don't know. I just don't really get the hype. It's a lot of effort for almost no reward.

When it's "small" (let's say anything under 8 foot) it's absolutely mobbed with people. I've since moved to other spots to avoid the crowds. I just don't understand the hype. In my opinion, it barely qualifies as a surf spot. It's more like a place where waves haphazardly break. The term "surf spot" implies at least some kind of rhyme or reason to the way that the waves are organized.

Maybe I'm just old and not "hardcore" enough. I'm sorry for shitting all over your parade. I just don't understand the dedication that people have to the spot, and this is coming from someone who has spent a lot of time surfing it.

 

[Woke AF]

I've been surfing Ocean Beach since about 2007. Certainly not as long as some people in this forum, but long enough to have a good understanding of the whole experience. Overall, I think Ocean Beach is wildly over-rated. When it's big and "perfect" (I use the term loosely), the odds of you actually catching a great wave are slim. You're lucky to get 3 or 4 waves in an hour. I think it could work a lot better if you had a jet ski...not because the waves are too big to paddle into, but positioning is absolute hell.

Even when it looks really epic, the paddle out and the lack of a defined peak really makes it annoying to surf. And a lot of the waves bend out to sea or mush out. The rights flatten out. The lefts usually pinch. It's a barrel that is very unpredictable and difficult to negotiate. I don't know. I just don't really get the hype. It's a lot of effort for almost no reward.

When it's "small" (let's say anything under 8 foot) it's absolutely mobbed with people. I've since moved to other spots to avoid the crowds. I just don't understand the hype. In my opinion, it barely qualifies as a surf spot. It's more like a place where waves haphazardly break. The term "surf spot" implies at least some kind of rhyme or reason to the way that the waves are organized.

Maybe I'm just old and not "hardcore" enough. I'm sorry for shitting all over your parade. I just don't understand the dedication that people have to the spot, and this is coming from someone who has spent a lot of time surfing it.

I’m thinking you don’t bang super models either

 

[kool-aid]

I've been surfing Ocean Beach since about 2007. Certainly not as long as some people in this forum, but long enough to have a good understanding of the whole experience. Overall, I think Ocean Beach is wildly over-rated. When it's big and "perfect" (I use the term loosely), the odds of you actually catching a great wave are slim. You're lucky to get 3 or 4 waves in an hour. I think it could work a lot better if you had a jet ski...not because the waves are too big to paddle into, but positioning is absolute hell.

Even when it looks really epic, the paddle out and the lack of a defined peak really makes it annoying to surf. And a lot of the waves bend out to sea or mush out. The rights flatten out. The lefts usually pinch. It's a barrel that is very unpredictable and difficult to negotiate. I don't know. I just don't really get the hype. It's a lot of effort for almost no reward.

When it's "small" (let's say anything under 8 foot) it's absolutely mobbed with people. I've since moved to other spots to avoid the crowds. I just don't understand the hype. In my opinion, it barely qualifies as a surf spot. It's more like a place where waves haphazardly break. The term "surf spot" implies at least some kind of rhyme or reason to the way that the waves are organized.

Maybe I'm just old and not "hardcore" enough. I'm sorry for shitting all over your parade. I just don't understand the dedication that people have to the spot, and this is coming from someone who has spent a lot of time surfing it.

First of all, wow.

Second of all, I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I would definitely call Ocean Beach a world-class beach break. But if you're looking for the consistency of an Indo pointbreak, or ever Santa Cruz for that matter, then yeah, you are going to be deeply disappointed by Ocean Beach.

For me, the inconsistency and the fact that Ocean Beach is so challenging is what I love about it. And for the record, when I say inconsistency, I'm not saying that it rarely gets good, I'm saying that it's constantly changing and no two waves are even remotely the same. Ocean Beach is hard so you have to be dedicated to get the most out of it. But if you can manage that, the rewards are absolutely there.

A couple of things to consider before you openly sh!t on OB again.

- How many beach breaks are there out there that can be perfect (open to debate) from 2 feet to 20 feet?
- How many of those beach breaks, or even point breaks for that matter, border a world-class city?
- How many of those spots are guaranteed to go off and put on a good show for at least 4 months out of the year?

Is OB the greatest surf spot on earth? No, not by a long shot. Is it a world-class top 10 wave? Hell no. Is there another beach break out there like it? If there is, LMK so I can head there cause it is fucking crowded these days.

 

[Subway]

Well said

and not to cross thread topics, cause that never happens, but the above is how I feel about living and surfing in this part of the north east, and the whole east west debate. I’m not saying it’s epic all the time, but for a bunch of days out of the year, and maybe even some truly epic days sprinkled in, or one of those years with a hurricane season that basically pumps for 45 days straight…it’s a pretty damn cool beach and surf town so close to NYC (I know some of you hate NYC but that’s a different topic altogether)

but like this fall and winter so far it can also shrivel whatever is left of your hard and calloused New York soul

 

[JLW]

First of all, wow.

Second of all, I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I would definitely call Ocean Beach a world-class beach break. But if you're looking for the consistency of an Indo pointbreak, or ever Santa Cruz for that matter, then yeah, you are going to be deeply disappointed by Ocean Beach.

For me, the inconsistency and the fact that Ocean Beach is so challenging is what I love about it. And for the record, when I say inconsistency, I'm not saying that it rarely gets good, I'm saying that it's constantly changing and no two waves are even remotely the same. Ocean Beach is hard so you have to be dedicated to get the most out of it. But if you can manage that, the rewards are absolutely there.

A couple of things to consider before you openly sh!t on OB again.

- How many beach breaks are there out there that can be perfect (open to debate) from 2 feet to 20 feet?
- How many of those beach breaks, or even point breaks for that matter, border a world-class city?
- How many of those spots are guaranteed to go off and put on a good show for at least 4 months out of the year?

Is OB the greatest surf spot on earth? No, not by a long shot. Is it a world-class top 10 wave? Hell no. Is there another beach break out there like it? If there is, LMK so I can head there cause it is fucking crowded these days.

Make no mistake. There are perfect waves at Ocean Beach on days like yesterday. That's actually what's so frustrating about it. You can SEE perfect waves breaking up and down the beach, but good luck catching one. What good are perfect waves if you can't catch them?

When I go surfing, I want to ride waves, not paddle around like an idiot.

Once again, I just want to make it clear that I've put a lot of time into the spot. I just don't see the appeal.

If you want to find other beachbreaks like Ocean Beach, there are a bunch of them that are visible from the road on Highway 1 between here and Santa Cruz. To be fair, I've only surfed them occasionally, and I don't know if they handle size as well as the beach.

EDIT: I realized I didn't answer any of your questions.

-There are plenty of beachbreaks that handle size from 1 foot up to about 10 foot. You're right, Ocean Beach is pretty good at the upper end of its size range, but good luck catching a wave.

-Bordering a world class city doesn't make the wave itself any better. It just makes it more crowded...which has really become intolerable in the last few years. I saw one day in early January that was in the 8-12 foot range and there were rampant drop-ins happening. Just an absolute zoo. And don't even get me started about when it dips below 8 foot...oh my god. Total pandemonium. This has been happening more and more often.

-Ocean Beach is FAR from guaranteed to go off. During El Nino years it can be 20 foot and onshore for literally months at a time.


Ocean Beach is an average beachbreak that can handle size. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[TeamScam]

Never been there, do not really aspire to go there as I've had my hands full right where I've been lately but I can completely understand the last three points of view made by JLW, kool-aid, and Subway. I get what you're saying and count my lucky stars for that much, and that I've managed to survive long enough to make wise(wiser) decisions than I used to. Joining the Coast Guard is obviously a heavy decision. Catching air with your dad's Danzi? Not me.

 

[hammies]

Catch air with daddy's Donzi? What happens when you come home having caught this?



This is what happened to the OB boat.

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

+ Seems to pick up assload of swell
+ Does not seem prone to endless closeouts
+ Has good water moving feel when paddling in
+ Accessibility
+ Mos Eisley spaceport anti-scene "scene".

- Rugged paddle out

The current seems to sift everyone around and the mixed up nature means basically everyone gets some bread to wrap around the sh!t. The city doesn't make the surf better, but it makes it The People's beachbreak.

 

[TeamScam]

Like an adult version of Sesame Street for surfers? That's not how I imagined it, maybe I'm feeling a little Mr. Snuffaluffaguss in the challenging beach break department at the moment, almost over this Winter and it's nowhere near over over here.

 

[Bob Dobbalina]

Is OB the greatest surf spot on earth? No, not by a long shot. Is it a world-class top 10 wave? Hell no.

I think the world will be a better place if this is the go-to description of the place.
Please, everyone, adopt it into your repertoire and tell your friends.


Frankly, and with no disrespect to others, I love JLW's description.

 

[JLW]

The thing about Ocean Beach is that it photographs a lot better than it surfs.

What I mean by that is that the swells tend to stack up and line up because the water is relatively shallow for a very long time. So you just see line after line of perfect A-frame peaks stacking up from the horizon. This is VERY photogenic. When the wave breaks, it looks absolutely beautiful. But the bathymetry that creates these long, endless lines are the exact same thing that make it a pain in the ass to surf. Yes, that long very long shallow sandbar that extends out all the way to the Farallons does help to break up the swell and makes it rideable when it's big...but it also causes the waves to lose focus and break all over the place.

Looks great in photos. But it's a frustrating nightmare to surf.

 

[santacruzin]

Only place in California I thought I was going to die at. On more than one occasion


Hats off to you guys that surf it all winter. You are looney tunes!

 

[Hump]

They are out there fairly regularly throughout the year either doing heli pick ups or boating exercises. There is some footage of them in other heavy beachbreak rivermouth setups too (Russian River, etc). Gotta do it. I'd imagine most CG Rescues are NOT happening in friendly seas. Just a bummer that all the other conditions lined up for surfing as well.

I confirmed with my CG friend. He said he is happy he doesn't have to do that anymore.

Back some time ago, late 70's or early 80's I was on one of my summer trips to Westport Wa. seeking some surf and I met a guy named Jim ??? who was the skipper of one of the Coast Guard self-righting rescue boats that worked the bar there.
I remember asking him if they (crew of four) ever went out and rolled it over in the big surf just for fun. He replied quite emphatically that they didn't ever do that, because whenever the boat rolled over there was a lot of paperwork to fill out, explaining where, why etc. etc.
I think it was one of those enclosed types where everyone is inside except when they reach the object in distress wherein they deploy out of the cabin.
I'm sure he mentioned they were all strapped in their seats while crossing the bar, but that was a long time ago and I could be mistaken.
Someone here may be more knowledgeable.

Brave and capable guys in that occupation for sure.



Take care.

 

[Woke AF]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=810312967035247

They were at it yesterday, in the line-up off Judah

 

[thekadvang]

Make no mistake. There are perfect waves at Ocean Beach on days like yesterday. That's actually what's so frustrating about it. You can SEE perfect waves breaking up and down the beach, but good luck catching one. What good are perfect waves if you can't catch them?

When I go surfing, I want to ride waves, not paddle around like an idiot.

Once again, I just want to make it clear that I've put a lot of time into the spot. I just don't see the appeal.

If you want to find other beachbreaks like Ocean Beach, there are a bunch of them that are visible from the road on Highway 1 between here and Santa Cruz. To be fair, I've only surfed them occasionally, and I don't know if they handle size as well as the beach.

EDIT: I realized I didn't answer any of your questions.

-There are plenty of beachbreaks that handle size from 1 foot up to about 10 foot. You're right, Ocean Beach is pretty good at the upper end of its size range, but good luck catching a wave.

-Bordering a world class city doesn't make the wave itself any better. It just makes it more crowded...which has really become intolerable in the last few years. I saw one day in early January that was in the 8-12 foot range and there were rampant drop-ins happening. Just an absolute zoo. And don't even get me started about when it dips below 8 foot...oh my god. Total pandemonium. This has been happening more and more often.

-Ocean Beach is FAR from guaranteed to go off. During El Nino years it can be 20 foot and onshore for literally months at a time.


Ocean Beach is an average beachbreak that can handle size. Nothing more, nothing less.

lived at the beach for a while; now live kauai and was lucky enough to be back for the last week of surf

claiming the san mateo county beachies are remotely like ob is hilarious (i grew up surfing down there, they are basically novelty spots) but otherwise i agree with your assessment

it was gnarly to see the number of people going on the shoulder when someone was paddling from deep the last couple of days. even when those guys get sounded they don't seem to understand. the proliferation of photography and youtube channels that make the beach look better than it is has not helped the crowd situation since i left

with that said the place is 100% special and I miss it. yeah it's either bad or frustrating most of the time but you also have the opportunity to line up a DOH barrel with nobody around and that's a rare thing these days

 

[bluengreen]

Often it's more of an ocean-going experience than surfing. It's rugged and beautiful. On big days, I feel like I'm in the wilderness. When it's "perfect" and crowded, it can chagrin like the hike to Half Dome. You're in the midst of the sublime, treacherous perfection, slightly tainted by the hoards, and yeah, I'm one of them. Still, I find it endlessly alluring. The big, imperfect, uncrowded days are my favorites. 10 feet at 10 seconds and onshore in April. 8 feet at 16 seconds and high tide on a cold winter morning with two others on the peak. I grew up surfing in sanitized, easy North County San Diego, where I was constantly comparing myself to sponsored "rippers." My surfing experience was conflated with mainstream surf culture. Surfing here is a lot more fulfilling. I can push my limits with virtually no ceiling. No one really cares about ripping. There's a sense of solidarity with a dedicated crew that you see in the water all seasons and conditions. You can find solitude if you want it.

 

[SurfFuerteventura]

Surfed OB for a bit during the 90's,
can't say it was crowded

Also, cannot say it was the best beach break.

Last good session there was 2006, when I bought my 6'8 Andreini hull. It was a small small day, breaking close to shore, and the hull made those shore runner close outs makeable, sometimes.

Last try there was in 2015 or 16, with Mr. Doof himself. Thus was after my lumbar fusion, and my hands became like crab claws, but with the rubber band still on! All I could do was hug the board while letting the foam take me back to shore. It was horrible. I swore to never again try to surf in such cold.

As far as better beach breaks? They're abundant. All over the world.

There's a little place in Mexico where you can ride 20 foot kegs right on the shore, perfect spitting barrels.

As far as good waves, long coast, variety of breaks with little or no one out, try northern France, or Portugal.

OBSF is what it is, but don't try to make it out to be what it ain't, cause it just taint.

 

[JLW]

lived at the beach for a while; now live kauai and was lucky enough to be back for the last week of surf

claiming the san mateo county beachies are remotely like ob is hilarious (i grew up surfing down there, they are basically novelty spots) but otherwise i agree with your assessment

it was gnarly to see the number of people going on the shoulder when someone was paddling from deep the last couple of days. even when those guys get sounded they don't seem to understand. the proliferation of photography and youtube channels that make the beach look better than it is has not helped the crowd situation since i left

with that said the place is 100% special and I miss it. yeah it's either bad or frustrating most of the time but you also have the opportunity to line up a DOH barrel with nobody around and that's a rare thing these days

the san mateo beaches are all a unique flavor of "average beachbreak" which is why I made the comparison to ocean beach. the thing that ocean beach has going for it is that it can handle size.

The past few weeks were the last straw for me, personally. I feel like COVID was really the nail in the coffin. I am self employed, so I pretty much exclusively surf on weekdays during working hours. But it seems like it's always crowded now, no matter what time of day it is.

I moved here from the East Coast. I was so enamored with the wilderness of the whole Ocean Beach experience. I was just a kid when I first moved here. I bought a 6'10" when I first moved here, thinking that was more board than I'd ever need (ha). But the novelty has worn off, and it's just not the same when there are 60 guys packed in a one-block stretch. I can't help but feel like I'm part of the problem since I'm a transplant, after all. so i've moved onto less crowded spots.

 

[doc_flavonoid]

The past few weeks were the last straw for me, personally. I feel like COVID was really the nail in the coffin. I am self employed, so I pretty much exclusively surf on weekdays during working hours. But it seems like it's always crowded now, no matter what time of day it is.

no kidding. its gotten so bad during loser hours that ive had to resort to surfing weekends as well just to maintain my weekly wave count.