Water Fight

For generations, surfing was a symbol of a romanticized, carefree Southern California lifestyle. We even featured the waves and wave-riders of Manhattan Beach on the cover of LMU Magazine issue No. 1 (Summer 2010). But the sport is alive and well up the coast and in the chilly waters near San Francisco. So, we invited two LMU surfers to go at it — just a little friendly aggro — over which coast rules the waves. —The Editor

NORCAL

The Rain

Surfing in the rain is magical. The tiny droplets of water hitting the ocean around you make you feel as if you’re in a bubble, encased in a quiet peacefulness. In Southern California, rain means brown water and a likely ear infection. Up north, rain is just rain. You never worry about surfing among the debris of society when a storm rolls through.

The GOAT

The undisputed most accomplished professional surfer, Kelly Slater has won 11 world titles and 56 events on tour. Both the youngest and oldest champion in the World Surf League, Slater won his famed 11th title on Ocean Beach in San Francisco. If the GOAT can catch a W in the north, why couldn’t you?

Mavericks

Mavericks is the nation’s capital of big wave surfing, where only the best of the best can drop in. Ask 24-year-old Santa Cruzan Alo Slebir, who charged a world-record 108-foot bomb at Mavericks on Dec. 23. 

Mollusk’s

Surf shops are the cornerstone of the surfing community, but there is only one Mollusk Surf Shop. OK, well, three: in Venice, Santa Barbara, and the original — in lovely San Francisco. From music and art to clothing and gear, Mollusk is more of a cult following than a surf shop. And where did it originate? Yup, that’s right, Northern California. 

Hardcore

The surf scene is made up of a hardy group of old-timers and seasoned regulars — hardcore — where long beards and weather-worn faces are the norm. Local legends, tall tales, and underground chargers fill the parking lots and surf shops, and you definitely won’t catch influencers vlogging mid-session. 

SOCAL

Lower Trestles

If you want to talk about the epitome of high-performance surfing, start with Lower Trestles — surfing’s thunderdome and the ultimate competitive breeding ground. On any given day, you can spot household names tearing the walls at Lowers. It’s no wonder that the World Surf League has run the championship surf-off in San Clemente in recent years.

The Shapers

Santa Barbara’s Renny Yater and George Greenough pushed evolution in longboard and fin design in the ’60s, while Channel Islands Surfboards and Tom Curren revolutionized the length of boards and fins we ride, starting the shortboard movement in the ’80s. Even today, every world class shaper is stationed south.

Surf Rock

Not only is Southern California home to some of the greatest waves, it’s the epicenter for surf music: bands like Sun Room, Allah-Las, The Frights, Greer, The Happy Return, The Growlers, Tijuana Panthers, and The Grogans. And I feel legally obligated to state that the Beach Boys are, in fact, from Southern California.

The Industry

If you want to make a living as a competitive surfer, you have to go south. We’ve created an economy that’s put surfing on the map across the globe. As professional surfer Jordy Smith said in Stab Magazine, “That’s where the industry is, that’s where the eyeballs are.” 

Queen of the Coast

Show any surfer a photo of pumping Rincon and they’ll salivate. Right off the PCH on the Santa Barbara/Ventura County line, Rincon Point is one of the longest and cleanest breaks in the world. On a good day you get half-mile-long rides from the top of the point down to the highway. When Rincon’s good, work waits.

Creative Content

Hailing from my hometown of Santa Barbara, Dane Reynolds, with his goofy humility and his raw and radical surfing, is everyone’s favorite surfer. He’s also one of the first to create self-published surf movies online and has every Ventura rat sporting his new merch, hand-drawn by his 5-year-old. He has proved it possible to make a surfing living away from competition.

Niko Asai ’27, (NorCal), an English major in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, is an alternate member of the LMU Surf Team and a longtime surfer in the waters off San Francisco, his hometown. 

Jake Richard ’25 (SoCal)   is a marketing major in the LMU College of Business Administration and a member of the LMU Surf Team. He began surfing as a high school student in his hometown of Goleta, California.