Just four miles north of Santa Cruz in Central California is the surf spot Four Mile (creative I know). This is a right-hand point break that peels across a shallow rock shelf. The waves here can be tricky to surf, and speed down the line for up to 200 meters providing hollow sections for deep barrels.
What are the best surf conditions for Four Mile?
Gets good between head high to triple overhead. We recommend a longboard for the smaller days and a shortboard for when it gets hollow. Four Mile is best suited to intermediate and advanced surfers. The surf here isn’t super consistent (4/10) and will be crowded when it is good (8/10). Four Mile is sheltered from the NW winds that destroy most other breaks in the area, so check here when it’s blown out elsewhere. The best winds come from the East. The best swells come from the Southwest, West, and Northwest. The more North in the swell the bigger it has to be. Mid to low tides for the barrels.
We recommend a 4/3 in the summer here when water temperatures rise to around 15 degrees. In the winter a 5/4 is best when water temperatures drop to around 12 degrees. See the temperature chart below for more data on this.
