Pismo Beach
One of the more consistent and shapely of all Central Coast beach breaks, the Pismo Beach Pier is the hub of south county surfing. Contests are staged regularly, and a few exceptionally talented surfers have emerged from this land of the sand highway and tourist hordes. At 1,250 feet long, the pier itself is lit at night, meaning full-moon sessions are a possibility. Cradled in the lee of Point San Luis and San Luis Obispo Bay, the pier is in a slight northwest swell shadow, so it’s usually smaller and less windy than the more exposed sandbars down around Oceano, but bigger than the Avila Beach area to the north.
The land is also warmer due to the wind-blocking hills behind the city. You could compare the surf at Pismo (Chumash Indian word for “tar” or “pismu”) to a famous pier like Huntington, only the water’s about 10 degrees colder, and thonged teenage girls are nonexistent.
Pismo’s south side is usually better than the north, and you’re liberated to snuff out several miles’ worth of white sand beach break guaranteed to be devoid of other surfers. But if you’re lazy like the rest of us, the pier vicinity will do just fine, thanks.
Juicy rights sometimes form off the south side, but don’t expect a Rincon-length wave here — it can be more walled than China. Bigger, solid groundswells are especially shapeless, so your best bet would be to show up during a peaky windswell or small groundswell in times of light wind and high tide. Since the beach faces southwest, playful summertime swells are desired. The beach slopes gently out from the water’s edge, which also means the waves are much softer than, say, somewhere like Jalama Beach or Morro Rock.
