4 Epic Bodysurfing & Handboarding Breaks: Orange County California Edition

SLYDE HANDBOARDS AMBASSADORS HAVE GREAT TASTES WHEN IT COMES TO BREAK SELECTIONS.  

Image by @rolythethird

We Spoke with  4 Orange County California ambassadors share their favorite local break with us, along with "insider" information & tips..

Dylan Biggerstaff:  Santa Ana River Jetties, California

Personal bodysurfing style best described as:  Tricks and maneuvers
Dylans's Slyde Handboard of choice is: The Grom 

Santa Ana River Jetties or as local call it RJ's, is a small stretch of beach between Newport Beach and Huntington Beach where the Santa Ana River flows into the ocean.

• Type of Break: Beach Break
• Good For: Intermediate bodysurfers
• Landscape:  Non Instagram Worthy, solid 1 mile of beach.
• Temperatures: Average water temp is 60 & average air temperature is 70
• Wave Quality:3/5 stars (5 best)
• Average wave size:3 to 5 feet
• Ideal Conditions: Combo Swell, N and S. NE Winds
• Best time of day & year to bodysurf here:Fall 
• Crowds: Crowded during Summer months
• Dangers & Hazards:Rip Currents, Steep Drop, underwater hazards, unwelcoming locals. 
• Fun Facts: You can bodysurf a wave from Huntington (north) to Newport (south). Extremely steep drop on low tide. Funnels offshore winds.

Joe Nickerson: Huntington Beach South Side Pier Bowl, California

Huntington Beach aka Surf City USA is an iconic Southern California surf spot, known for a variety of contests & oozes surf & skate culture.

Personal bodysurfing style best described as:  Hawaiian tough meets smooth California. 
Joe's Slyde Handboard of choice is: The Wedge

• Type of Break: Easily Accessible Beach Break near others
• Good For: Intermediate bodysurfers
• Landscape: Not an Instagram-worthy landscape unless you want pictures of the pier. The beach is about 2 miles on the south side of the pier.
• Temperatures: Average water temp is 60 & average air temperature is 75
• Average wave size: 3 to 5 feet
• Ideal Conditions: Ideal when there are light winds or Santa Ana winds with a combo swell of either: SSE, S, SW with WSW, W, and WNW 
• Best time of day & year to bodysurf here:Morning & Fall
• Wave Quality: 3/5 stars (5 best)
• Crowds: Crowded during Summer months
• Dangers & Hazards:Rip current, sharks, marine life, unwelcoming locals, powerful unpredictable waves.
• Fun Facts: long rides on smaller days -huge close out barrels on big days -perfect for handboarding.

Kori Alpert: Strands Point, Dana Point, CA

Personal bodysurfing style best described as: Old School 
Slyde Handboard of choice is: Bula Board

Neighboring beach to Salt Creek, just south the Strands offers a gentler break with less crowds.

• Type of Break: Easily Accessible Point Break with others close by
• Good For: Intermediate bodysurfers
• Landscape: The beach is about a mile from point to point. It also shares the same point with salt creek beach park. The landscape has big sea bluffs with some homes scattered around. White, very soft, fine sand. There is also quite a bite of wild life. Lots of birds and sea life (dolphins will frequently be in the surf line).
• Temperatures: Average water temp is 65 & average air temperature is 70
• Average wave size: 2-3 occ 4 
• Ideal Conditions: Mid tide, SW/W swell, no wind
• Best time of day & year to bodysurf here: Year round in the mornings! 
• Wave Quality: 4/5 stars (5 best)
• Crowds: Crowded during Summer months
• Dangers & Hazards:Dangers & Hazards:Underwater Hazards
• Fun Facts:  Great ride pools in the north end of the beach during a low tide. Less crowded than its neighboring beach salt creek. The water is very clear, on flat days it's great for snorkeling or diving.

Steve Watts:  Salt Creek, Dana Point, California

Personal bodysurfing style best described as:Out there to have fun
Slyde Handboard of choice is: Bula Board on heavy shorebreak days

Salt Creek is a rocky point frequently seen surf magazines, videos, and absolutely fires during a swell.

• Type of Break: Point and Beach Break
• Landscape: Extremely Picturesque there's a reason why the Ritz Carlton set up "shop" here.
• Temperatures: Air Temp:Salt Creek has some incredible weather, June and July can be quite foggy, but the rest of the year is pretty much perfect. Winter slightly chilly mid-low 50's and summer hovers around 70-80's.
  Water Temp:Summer is high 60's low 70's and winter chilly high 50's
• Average wave size:I am down at Salt Creek 300 days out of the year and it has to be one of the most consistently good waves I have ever come across. Averages around 3-4 feet, but when it's good it's really good.
• Ideal Conditions:South Swell Summer
• Best time of day & year to bodysurf here:Morning early is best, mid-afternoon the wind can get to it.  Late afternoon is also a fun time to go down. I like it on a sinking tide, when it starts to drain out and the shorebreak starts to work. I like summer tides because the water is tropical clear, warm, and the suns out.  
• Wave Quality:4 out of 5
• Crowds:The one downfall is the crowds, if it's firing it gets super crowded.
• Dangers & Hazards:Rocks, crowds, sharks.  There are many submerged rocks lurking just under the water.  I am always aware of that and make sure I keep both thands out in front when I duckdive a wave. The Crowds can get insane, that's when handboarding is the best.  No one is surfing in the dredging shore break and inside break, so you tend to be all to yourself. The man in a grey suit makes apperances through out the year and beaches are periodically shut down.
• Fun Facts:Salt Creek is Slyde's home break.  Great concert venue on the grass embankment with some fun summer events.  The Ritz has a great bar overlooking all of it.

 HAVE A FAVORITE LOCAL BREAK YOU'D LOVE TO SHARE?  RATE YOUR BREAK HERE