Longboard-friendly waves in Dana Point

Dana Point, California

Recommendations refresh every 30 minutes based on tide, wind, and crowd telemetry from Quiver.

Dana Point delivers the kind of mellow walls that make nine-footers purr. These 4 breaks offer long shoulders, patient sections, and enough face to cross-step without rushing.

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Keep planning Dana Point

Use this longboard friendly guide as the filter, then jump to live spots, tides, or the seasonal window.

Check live Dana Point spotsSee the local breaks and current surf conditions.Open pageFind the best surf windowCompare today's call with the seasonal pattern.Open pageWatch the tide windowUse tide timing before you commit to a spot.Open page

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Featured Beaches(4)

Doheny Beach

Beginner friendly

Doheny State Beach offers Orange County's second-easiest learning wave after San O' Dogpatch, rated 4/10 overall but 6/10 for beginners.

Doheny State Beach

Beginner friendly

Doheny State Beach offers Orange County's second-easiest learning wave after San O' Dogpatch, rated 4/10 overall but 6/10 for beginners.

Salt Creek

Beginner friendly

Salt Creek delivers 8/10 quality across three distinct sections. The Point produces extremely rippable left pointbreaks when sandbars align; Middles offers wedgy A-frames year-round; Gravels reef breaks with board-breaking power.

Strands

Beginner friendly

Strands is a beach break in Dana Point, CA. It is suited for beginner-intermediate surfers. Watch out for rip currents, pollution.

Today's longboard plan in Dana Point

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Top picks

1Salt Creek
1.2 ft7 mph
2Doheny Beach
0.6 ft7 mph
3Strands
1.2 ft5 mph
Long, peeling waves perfect for noseridingMellow takeoff zones with forgiving shouldersClassic surf spots with old-school vibesBest tide windows for logging sessions

Longboard-friendly breaks in Dana Point

Break types, wave character, and ideal conditions for mellow log sessions.

Doheny Beach
beach
beginner
4.3(3)

**Doheny State Beach** offers Orange County's second-easiest learning wave after San O' Dogpatch, rated 4/10 overall but 6/10 for beginners.

Wave character

One of OC's easiest waves—soft shoulders peel over cobblestone bottom after slipping past the harbor jetty. Three breaks: Boneyards, Second Spot, and Rivermouth. Longboard paradise.

Best conditions

NW-W swell in winter for the biggest days, but any S-SW swell produces rideable waves. Light offshore winds from the E. Higher tide softens the cobblestone entry.

Doheny State Beach
beach
beginner
4.0(13)

**Doheny State Beach** offers Orange County's second-easiest learning wave after San O' Dogpatch, rated 4/10 overall but 6/10 for beginners.

Wave character

offers Orange County's second-easiest learning wave

Salt Creek
beach
beginner-intermediate
4.1(17)

**Salt Creek** delivers 8/10 quality across three distinct sections. The Point produces extremely rippable left pointbreaks when sandbars align; Middles offers wedgy A-frames year-round; Gravels reef breaks with board-breaking power.

Best conditions

Best June-October for hurricane swells

Strands
beach
beginner-intermediate
3.8(18)

Strands is a beach break in Dana Point, CA. It is suited for beginner-intermediate surfers. Watch out for rip currents, pollution.

Log in 15 seconds(optional)
Wave Quality7/10
Crowd4/10
Overall8/10

Logging once helps tune Dana Point picks.

Frequently Asked Questions

About surfing in Dana Point

Great longboard spots in Dana Point include Doheny Beach, Doheny State Beach, Salt Creek. Look for peeling point breaks and gentle beach breaks with long shoulders.
Ideal longboard waves have gentle shoulders, a mellow takeoff, and long walls to trim. The best spots feature point breaks or sandbars that create peeling waves.

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