Beach Health Indicators

Surfing Areas

The Surfrider Foundation is one of the few organizations that care specifically about surfing. Surfing areas represent rare natural resources that provide not only recreational opportunities, but also environmental, aesthetic, and economic benefits to the surrounding coastal area. Many of our favorite surfing areas may be threatened or degraded by water quality problems, access restrictions, or coastal development such as the construction of harbors, groins, or jetties. By identifying surfing areas, we can demonstrate their existence and level of use to local and state governments, as well as coastal developers. Armed with this information, surfers can prevent the further loss of great surf spots such as "Killer Dana" in California, which was lost due to construction of the jetty that created Dana Point Harbor. The Surfrider Foundation is NOT creating a guide to surfing areas. For those surfers with "secret spots," we did not ask them to divulge any information about the surf breaks. Surfer Magazine generously provided their Surf Reports, allowing us to list the approximate number of well-known surfing areas for each state.