California surfing is more than just a recreational pastime for many people – it is an obsession, an institution and a religion. Growing up just outside of the city of San Francisco, I was exposed to this phenomenon at an early age. The Pacific Ocean has always been a favored choice for California surfing, where the waves are perfect, the weather conditions ideal, and the beaches clean and safe.

If you are California coast born and bred it is your birthright to cut classes and head for the surf with some food some water and your old board. And if the conditions are really bad you’ve still got the drama of the ocean and the beaches that is a world away from the all those states surrounded by other states, untouched by the sea breezes.

Some people believe that it is easy to just locate a beach on the coast, throw on your suit and start paddling. Only very ignorant people attempt such a thing. The best waves are known to be off the coast of Santa Cruz and parts of Southern California, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a secluded beach that only you have thought of for surfing. Normally if no one is in the vicinity, the waves are either bad or you have to contend with sharks. Though there will be no signs, it is a safe bet to look elsewhere along the coast if you have never gone California surfing.

If you have discovered a prime location for trying out your board, it is probably normal that you will confront some odd and territorial creatures that are inextricably tied to California surfing: the surfer. These half-men/half-seal creatures will usually appear in groups, and can be friendly or aggressive depending on where you go and how competent you are at the sport. If you understand the unspoken etiquette that exists among these men folk, such as giving space to those around you or not taking someone else’s wave than you may get out alive. However, some of these surfers can spare no time or modicum of courtesy to ask you kindly to get off their beach. They may just surf over your head if you get in the way and let the sharks finish you off.

For many devotees California surfing is their life, their love, their religion. They give up what we might call a ‘normal’ way of life to pursue their nirvana. You only have to go to a California surfing competition to see the enormous skill level and commitment that many of these surfers exhibit to understand that you are looking at some of the best surfers on the globe. California surfing is unique and if you’ve heard a California surfer talking his sport you will be in no doubt that for many it takes them to places that most of us can only dream of.

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