Coronado, United States of America
By greatlakes or bust, 2007-03-22 02:30:00 aww yeah!
man, this was my time ever surfing... and i'm hooked.
we went back the next day and it was amazing. i was acting like a 5 year old dancing in the ocean for the first time and politely waved to some local ladies that looked 25 but were ac More...
All about Coronado
Here are the 3 parts to surfing Coronado and descriptions:
1) Outlet. This is right on the north end of the beach where the military base begins. This is a serious wave when it is on. You most definately could break your neck there. I do not advise it for anyone but an expert. It is shallow, fast, heavy, and very deadly. Parking is also not close.
2) Central/Middle Beach. This is directly out in front of the Hotel Del to the jetty. In the summer you can't surf here past around 10am. The lifeguards won't bother you, though, if there are not a lot of swimmers and kids around. The best bet here is to stay just north of the jetty. It can be fairly good there at dawn patrol. In the winter there can be some nice waves, too. And very few people surf there in the winter. You will practically have the whole beach to yourself.
3) South of the jetty and shipwrecks. This is anything south of the jetty until you reach the other military restricted area. This is a good spot for longboarding and the summer SW swells that come in because it is nowhere near as hard as Outlet and always less crowded than Central beach. This is where all the surfer Mom's hang out. There can be a lot of round stingrays here, and just pray you don't step on one like I did! Ouch! Very painful. There are also the occasional leophard sharks feeding there. They are harmless, but it is a trip to surf with 3-5 foot sharks all around you. I even landed on one once. You can go left and right on this beach and can have a blast with a longboard. There is a nice parking lot between the condos and on both sides of the condos there is also parking. Do watch out for the shipwreck that is very much sticking out at low tide. I would not bring a shortboard to this beach, only hybrids, longboards, and the occasional fish. Every once in a good while you might get a barrel, but it's rare.
So, after having surfed here for many years, I would say it is a fun, playful little beachbreak. It is always cleaner than nearby IB, has a very cool vibe to it, and the surfers are a little older. Sure, the waves are not huge, but they are fun. The waves usually die out after 10:30am, but it can pick up again in the late afternoon on many days.
One last thing: though you can't walk on the military beach on the south side past the shipwreck, they will let you paddle over to where there is a good left, but you will have to paddle back, and few ever do that because it is not too close.
Enjoy!
comment by Anonymous, 2008-06-12 17:46:18
you've just proven that you're not on it
OK, you've got a bit of a point about the whole "spinal fluid" thing...maybe that guy overstated it a bit.
BUT...it's not just another "shitty so cal break" that "never breaks". That sad statement is true for most of 'Nado, except for "Outlet". If you had even the smallest clue, you would know that Outlet is a serious summer break which produces neck-breaking grinders on South swells and NW winds in about 1-2 feet of cold-ass water.
If you haven't seen it, it's probably because you are a clueless Barno.
comment by Anonymous, 2008-06-06 20:53:10
worst spot ever!!
i love the write up by that one guy, something about spinal fluid draining from your ears, give me a break this is not pipe, it's just another shitty so cal beach break in a yuppy part of town, no soul and it never breaks
comment by Donald Calloway, 2008-06-21 19:30:36