Surfing in Laguna Beach

Where the city allows surfing

Most of the surf breaks the city describes sit over rock reefs, and the city controls who goes where. Its beach information page says surfing is allowed at four beaches: Agate, Brooks, Rockpile and Thalia Street. Those are the names to start from.

Other spots carry conditions. The city says surfing is not permitted on Main Beach during the summer months, and it is not allowed at Pearl Street during the summer. For the exact summer dates, call Marine Safety at (949) 497-0310 before you go.

Spot by spot

Rockpile

Rockpile Beach lies at the south end of Heisler Park. The city says it is one of Laguna’s three designated surfing areas and that swimming and body boarding are not permitted. The floor is almost all rock, and sea urchins cover most of the rocks that sit just below the surface. The city says getting in and out of the water can be hard and that the water is best left to surfers who know the reefs and currents. At high tide almost no dry sand remains.

Thalia Street

At Thalia Street, the city places surfing at the south end, south of the surf flag. The bottom is a rock reef with one sandy section. The city says that section turns into the strongest rip in town in large surf, one that often stretches 200 yards out.

Oak and Brooks Street

Oak Street is a rock reef the city describes as suited to surfing and not to swimming. It is a surfing-only beach in summer, and swimmers may not enter the surfing area. The city points swimmers to the area past the surf flag at the north end of Anita Street beach. Brooks Street is also surfing-only in summer. The city says a good south swell can make long lefts that start breaking at Second Reef. The whole bottom is reef, with rock showing at low tide, and the city asks for extreme caution entering and exiting.

Agate Street

The city names Agate Street as a beach where surfing is allowed. Its beach page covers the stairs at Agate Street and Ocean Way and the parking nearby.

Rules and safety

Take nothing and do not fish: every surf beach on this page sits in the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve, and CDFW lists surfing among the reserve’s popular activities. The reserve rules and boundaries are on the marine reserves page.

The city’s Marine Safety tips are the baseline. Check with the lifeguards, obey posted signs and flags, and if a rip current takes you, swim parallel to shore until it relaxes before you swim in. The city also says not every beach has a lifeguard at all times and that the rocks are dangerous, and it bans alcohol on its beaches. Beaches north of Aliso Creek close from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

Surf zones and swim zones are separate: the city says swimmers are not allowed in the surfing area at Oak Street and sets separate areas for each. If you paddle for sightseeing instead, see kayaking and paddleboarding.

Getting there

The surf beaches are street-end stairways, not lots. The city says some areas have three-hour meters and others have very limited neighborhood parking, and it points to its parking app for open spots. In summer the city opens large parking lots in different parts of town. The parking guide covers permits and lots, and getting around covers the trolley.

The Brooks Street Surfing Classic

The Brooks Street Surfing Classic is an annual contest sponsored by the Brooks Street Surfing Classic organization and administered by the city. It runs on a different weekend each year, depending on when the forecast surf looks best, and the city posts the waiting period and results on its event page. It is open only to Laguna Beach residents, with age divisions in short and longboard, paddleboard and bodyboard events. Questions go to (949) 497-0788.

Lessons

Three companies list surf lessons on their own sites. Eli’s Learn to Surf says its lessons meet at Thalia Beach and include board and wetsuit. La Vida Laguna and Laguna Ethos list surf lessons alongside kayak and paddle tours. Ask each where the lesson meets and which beach it uses on the day, since the city’s rules above shape that choice.

Surf shops

These shops list a Laguna Beach address on their own sites:

• CA Board Sports, 695 S. Coast Highway: surf and stand-up paddle lessons, rentals of surfboards, bodyboards and paddleboards, and new and used boards.
• Hobie Surf Shop, 294 Forest Avenue: surfboards, apparel and accessories. The company dates itself to 1954.
• Thalia Surf Shop, 915 S. Coast Highway at Thalia Street: boards from local shapers, apparel, day rentals of softboards, bodyboards and wetsuits, and lessons booked by phone. It says it opened in 2001.
• Toes on the Nose, 276 S. Coast Highway, across from Main Beach: surf apparel, plus beach chair and umbrella rentals.