Zuma Beach

At the southern end of the spectacular Big Sur coast-road is Arroyo Laguna, a stone’s throw from the must-see Hearst Castle. The launch to the clean long waves is shared with elephant seals, so be careful! If there’s no wind, check out the local hiking trails. When Arroyo Laguna blows out, Pico Creek is a little more sheltered. The launch and water are both rocky though – for advanced pilots only. Morro Bay is a 3km beach offering great kiting and windsurfing all the way from Cayucos to Morro Rock. Follow Highway 1 to the 101 and Pismo Beach, which blows almost directly onshore so is not for beginners! The favourite launch is just south of the pier. When fog has engulfed the coast and the central valleys are hot it usually blows at Lopez Lake, a popular beginner windsurfing spot about 13 miles inland of Pismo. Definitely one for the more advanced, Jalama Beach Park is an isolated spot 15 miles off Highway 1 that offers some of the best windsurfing and kiting on the central coast. If no-one’s out there’s usually a good reason. South of here is Point Conception, where the landmass sweeps eastward to form a gigantic bay. This guides the California Current further out into the Pacific allowing the coastal waters inside to warm up, which clearly affects the eco-system. Plus the windline is some way off-shore, so surfers rule at Leadbetter Beach. On a big NW swell the waves break beyond the point and can be ridden all the way inside. Just 1.5mls east is a beginner and intermediate spot on East Beach. Watch for trains as you cross the tracks to Ventura’s standby launch at Emma Wood. The beach can get crowded during the Ventura County Fair in August which closes access to the area’s kiting epicentre at C-Street. The leeward north of the pier is predominantly a surf spot so kiters are encouraged to stay upwind of the point where there’s a right and a left break half a mile out. Into town at Oxnard, Port Hueneme Beach is large and uncrowded with consistent sideshore winds. Anywhere south of the pier is good for launching and riding. LA’s overcrowding problems begin to bite at Leo Carillo (State Beach). Launch from the northern parking lot, give way to surfers and watch out for large rocky outcrops. During winter storms with strong winds head a mile NW to County Line for a gnarly day out. Zuma Beach is a generally uncrowded intermediate spot with a long sandy beach. It’s a different world heading south, with ever lighter winds and stricter rules on the beaches towards LA. Topanga Canyon Beach only has a small rocky launching area but promises good quality waves. Kiting isn’t officially allowed along LA’s coastline until Redondo Southern California’s only port tack launch. Cabrillo Beach on the southern tip of the Palos Verdes peninsula has very gusty winds endearing it more to windsurfers than kiters, who are banned on weekends from Memorial Day (the last Monday in May) to Labor Day (first Monday in September) anyway. Belmont Shores in Long Beach is ideal for beginners with cross-onshore wind, no waves and a huge sandy beach downwind. But forget it for a few days after it rains until the water quality improves. Seal Beach on the rivermouth is a nice beach-break with good waves in springtime. Nice long swells roll in for easy wavesailing beyond the end of the jetty – lifeguards strictly enforce launching between designated signs. Good waves and wind make Sunset Beach a local favourite for more advanced riders. In summer, the real life 'Baywatch’ police a 2pm start, restrict launching to between the chequered flags and ensure there’s no action close to shore from Independence Day (4 July) to Labor Day. The latter also applies at the world-class surf-spot Huntington Beach due to crowding – a shame because while it isn’t as windy as Sunset, it hosts better waves.