Considered a beginner break and mellow by NorCal standards. The most crowded spot north of Santa Cruz. Tons of longboarders. Tons of kooks. Closes out on big days or low tide. Not usually very good but more friendly and sunny than Ocean Beach in SF. Can occassionally get good but rarely epic. South end is the smallest, north end the biggest. Sand and rock bottom (mostly sand). Parking free. Showers, restrooms.
Overview
Atmosphere
Locals can get grumpy which is weird since the place isn't all that great. Pollution can be a major problem especially after rains or when they open the pump in the middle of the beach. You'll see seals and an occassional dolphin. The wildlife keeps you wondering what else is swimming around but no shark attacks to date and the place doesn't have a real sharky vibe.
I don't care what anyone thinks
I spent this last winter surfing at pacifica, and it had some pretty good days. this is a fun spot, and it does get plenty of winter juice, despite what people on this site say about it. Not great waves, but it has its days. In fact,there are no great waves around here, so this stupid pissing contest people have about these spots really amounts to a load of nonsense. and to the guy who drives to taco bell - go somewhere else. taco bell sucks.
i love looking for surf in this area, i come down from SF and see it pumping so i pull over and surf most of the time its heavy and good and im by myself. then i head south for like two minutes and stop at Tbell for a snack and watch 300 people battle for waves a couple of the surfers arent half bad. Why not drive literally like 2 minutes north and get good waves that have serious barrel/broken board potential. its not like a secret or does pacifica stand for pussy
comment by Anonymous, 2008-05-04 06:18:44