Session 5007: San Clemente Pier and T-Street

My friend, Joon, from So Cal on the Stokemasters message board told me about the Pier and the T-Street in San Clemente. Since we have not been to San Clemente, I decided to give this spot a try. I actually surfed the NW side of the pier, tomorrow may be I might try the T-Street, which is the SE side of the pier. San Clemente is a bit different from many other So Cal spots in that there is a pier, but there is no tree lined street leading to the front of the pier. There actually is a shopping street, but that ends about ¼ miles from the pier then a residential area starts, then there is a pier right at the San Clemente Amtrak station. As in many So Cal town surf spots, surfing here means you park the car, pay the meter, and walk across the railroad track and then splash in.

I decided to pick this spot because it was not very crowded and the waves were at the comfortable shoulder level break. It was sunny and unbelievable 80 degrees outside! Water was probably hitting close to 60s so no gloves and booties needed. There is a motel right at the beach and that would be a nice location to stay as you can just get up and go hit the area.

Waves were beach breaks similar to Linda Mar beach, breaking close to the shore, and like many other So Cal spots, there always seem to be a big bigger waves closer to the pier, and many short boarders were crowded there. The SE side of the pier had a bit better waves than the NW side, but there was a plenty of room for me to catch waves.

Surfing in a new location, even though the waves look similar, is always bringing a bit of nervousness and at the same time excitement, and each location is always different from another. For example, if I am at Manresa, somehow, I am a lot more comfortable and I am willing to take a bigger wave there. This is probably a complex stuff. In a familiar spot, I kind of mapped out the bottom through experience that I would have some basic idea of how the waves behave. I also do not know the local vibes until I surf a bit.

Tomorrow, I might go back here and try the T-street side, or may explore the northern side of San Onofre.