I'm going to be in Newport Beach

[SUP Leave]

Hey all,

I'm going to be in Newport Beach this weekend with a full day to surf/sup (Saturday).

I am helping one of my buddies finish off his mid-life crisis, he is giving up his business here in the PacNW and moving to Newport to coach soccer. Part of the purchase and sale agreement with me is that I help him move. His new apartment is on Balboa Blvd south of Newport pier.

Anyway, I would like to surf on Sat if at all possible. I can SUP or log-board, whatever fits the bill. We will have his rig and so I can travel a bit. I am a mildly competent surfer/SUSer.

Could I just get a log and cross the street and find a place to surf without much hassle? That might be optimal. I could also buy a board to leave at his apartment as we will have ongoing business together and I have family over in Irvine to visit every now and then.

[Sup-position]

Sounds like Fun.

Hit me up and we'll do a Sess..

Ralph
Sup-position
Huntington Beach, California, USA
(714) 899-3020

www.Sup-position.com

sup.position.com@gmail.com

[hbsteve]

The good news is that some area schools are back in session.  This has cut crowds some what.  Most of the year the best surfing in Newport is Newport Pier north.  Actually the coast runs more east and west at that point.  Newport uses a black ball system.  If the yellow flag with the black ball is up on the lifeguard tower, no surfboards allowed.  The timing is based on crowds, not a set time.  And without knowledge of the area, the best parking is at Newport.  But, on a weekend, plan on getting there early.  The blackball is up before 10 many weekday mornings.
If you have the time and can afford the $15 fee, I recommend Huntington State Beach.  You can surf all day long.  Hopefully a regular HB SUSer will give advice on the various spots.  After 11 or 12 a long line often exits to get in.
Ralph hit post before I did.  Hit him up.

[hbsteve]

If you guys are looking for a fun place to eat dinner, try Woody's Wharf.  You can look it up.  Fun place and good food.  A walk around the Newport pier area can be entertaining.

[Zooport]

Looks like we will have surf, with possible head high sets at some spots, so you should have something ridable almost everywhere.  It all depends on what kind of surf you want to ride.  If you want to catch the biggest size, go out at, or somewhere near, Huntington Pier.   If you go a few miles north of that, you get into Bolsa Chica where you should find slightly smaller surf and a lot of SUP surfers. 

Lots of places to go in Newport, but shape and size depends on conditions and swell, so checking spots is a must.  Around Newport Pier you will likely find small surf, because of the expected swell angle, and a few SUP surfers.  The north side of the pier has parking, amenities and lots of people.  Because of where you are staying, you should probably look there first.  It might be small, might be crowded, maybe even flat, but it's worth a look.  Sometimes you can catch it when it's great.  I won't be around this weekend or else I would offer to show you around.

[Old School 213]

IMO, head north unless it's right across the street looks good.

Saturdays at both the HB state beach and Bolsa Chica state beach have been hell to get in if you're not going to dawn patrol. If going around 9, plan on a line and if this past Sat is an indication you can walk across proners to get into the line up without getting wet. If you don't want the crowds, head for the street that rhymes with Fleapoint. (Old school conditioning prevents me from naming the spot directly).

Get in touch with Ralph, I'm sure he'll set you straight. 

PS: if going near Bolsa, the stingray shuffle is your friend.

[Old School 213]

PS: For good eats post surf try Supermex at Bolsa Chica and PCH. If they are closed (moving into a larger space next door), try El Burrito Jr. on Ocean in Seal Beach.

[RATbeachrider]

Based on computer model as of 8 AM PST, Saturday will have waves in the head high zone with 2 to 3 feet overhead on the sets.  The rip current moving north will be crazy.  There is one great spot in the OC to SUP on Saturday but the Bolsa Chica boys will kick my behind if I were to publicly disclosed it.

[SUP Leave]

Nice, it sounds like there's going to be waves! Stoked.

I have been to the Supermex on Bolsa Chica and also in Irvine. It is a good place.

Thanks much for the inputs so far.

[SUP Leave]

Quick Follow up -

We drove in on Friday afternoon, and moved my bud into his new place. On the beachside alley between 12th and 13th.

His local connections hooked us up with a guy who sold him a couple of cheap standups (VESL?) and a 9-1 longboard. The waves out front were pretty good. I watched guys on HP shortboards getting in and outs and getting pretty pummeled on a lot of them.

I didn't have the tool or the skills for those waves so Saturday I went down to blackies first thing with the LB was fun I probably caught 8 waves, but the board was a little small for me so I struggled to get up early enough to really work the wave.

So this morning I took the 10-0x29 SUP down there and rode it like a LB (no paddle) from daylight until about 0630. Lots more fun, but I was pretty hungover so I didn't last long. I followed my buddy down to the bars last night since he is a newly minted bachelor for the 3rd time and drank a bit too much Glenlivet watching the poor bastard pay 25 bucks a round for women 1/2 his age for a fake phone number.

Fun times. You guys are lucky to live there.

[Zooport]

Yes, I feel very blessed to live here.  We can surf any day before work and in the winter, it's not really that crowded. 

Glad you had a good time.