Right in Santa Cruz in Central California is Pleasure Point. This is an excellent point break that peels over a rock bottom. The waves here can be tricky in some sections and easy in others depending on your takeoff zone, breaking for up to 300 meters providing sections for cruising and manoeuvres.
What are the best surf conditions for Pleasure Point?
This spot gets good between waist high to overhead. A longboard is the general board of choice here, although a shortboard will work if it is big enough. Pleasure Point has options for all levels of surfers. Generally the further down the point the more beginner-friendly the wave becomes. The surf here is usually on (7/10) and is almost always crazy crowded (9/10). The best winds are from the Northeast, the best swells come from the Northwest, Southwest, and West. The different sections of the point are better on different tides, but in general, there is something on all levels of water somewhere on the point.
We recommend wearing a 4/3 wetsuit here in the summer when water temperatures rise to 15 degrees. In the winter a 5/4 might be the move as water temperatures drop to 12 degrees. See the temperature chart below for more data on this.