Surf's Up

August 27, 2014

Destination: Malibu Surfrider Beach

Cost: Gas only

With word that Hurricane Marie was spawning big waves, I headed to the coast yesterday to see what all the fuss was about. Malibu's Surfrider Beach seemed like the obvious destination, since this Valley girl didn’t want to make the drive all the way down to Orange County’s iconic “The Wedge.”

Leaving in late afternoon meant there was a bit of rush hour traffic on the 101 freeway, but Las Virgenes Canyon was clear sailing and I decided to park across from the Malibu Library to extend my journey to the shore. By doing this, I discovered Malibu Legacy Park, a fifteen acre preserve across from the Civic Center that was designed as public open space and a stormwater/urban runoff project. The park contains well-designed interpretative features, some nice sculpture and walking paths. This made for a perfect stroll over to Pacific Coast Highway and Malibu Lagoon, one of my favorite spots for birdwatching.

Arriving at the strand of Malibu Surfrider (Second Point), I was surrounded by abundant tourists and locals, out to watch the surf and surfers. The late summer afternoon could not have been nicer, warm with a soft breeze. Is there a subculture which produces a finer strain of strapping young men than surfing? I think not. The scenery was magnificent, and I’m not talking about the waves.

There were a ton of photographers taking it all in. I was looking for celebs in the sea, and spotted Richard Gere and Ashton Kutcher lookalikes. (Unless it was really them??) There was even a drone overhead, perhaps from Surfer Magazine. Renowned surfer Laird Hamilton shot the pier on a paddleboard, and evidence of this made it to Youtube.

An afternoon at the beach is always fun, but viewing giant waves and droves of expert surfers made a good day better.