Located in Orange County, Huntington Beach has reached icon status in the world of surfing. The Pier creates sand bars on either side and although the Southern side tends to get more love as it is the home of the US Open, the Northern side delivers as well. Generally, this side is best during the winter months when the West and Northwest swells march down. This creates an excellent bowling righthander that tends to break right into the pier. These are the kind of waves that make shooting the pier possible, but take care if you choose to do so. The waves here are pretty straightforward to surf and break for up to 100 meters over a sand bottom.
What are the best surf conditions for Huntington Pier, Northside?
Gets good between chest high and double overhead. We recommend riding a shortboard or step-up here when the swell is pumping. This break is good for intermediate and advanced-level surfers. The surf here usually has a wave (5/10) and will get very crowded (8/10). The best winds are from the Northeast. The best swells are from the Northwest and West. Works on a mid-tide best but will break on all tides well.
We recommend wearing a 3/2 in the summers when water temps range around 20 degrees. In the winters a 4/3 is best as water temps drop to 15 degrees. See the temperature chart below for more data on this.
