In Santa Cruz County, south of Santa Cruz, in Central California is Manresa Beach. It is a mediocre beach break that crumbles over a sand bottom. The waves here are pretty easy to surf, and break for up to 100 meters providing sections for turns and hacks.
What are the best surf conditions for Manresa Beach?
Gets good between waist high and overhead. Closes out at anything bigger. We recommend a longboard when smaller and a shortboard when bigger. Manresa Beach is best suited to all levels of surfers. The surf here is very consistent (8/10) but will be pretty crowded, especially if Santa Cruz is flat (8/10). Mid to high tides are best, matched with a Northeast wind and a swell from any angle in between North and South.
We recommend a 4/3 in the summer here when water temperatures rise to around 15 degrees. In the winter a 5/4 is recommended as water temperatures fall to around 12 degrees. See the temperature chart below for more data on this.
