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I am totally reluctant to share a phenomenon that is all too rare in Southern California.
Believe it or not, there is a State Beach in San Diego County that usually has great waves for surfing, boogie boarding and body surfing amid a relatively quiet open beach. Many, many moons ago this beach was known as Big Tree. Just up the highway from Moonlight State Beach in Encinitas lies this little gem that features beautiful lefts that are often observed from the top of the cliffs. The catch is that the parking lot is rather small but usually you can find a good spot if it's not the weekend. If a crowd begins to swarm the best break you can walk North a bit and find a few more good breaks. The North section features a reef like break that long boarders can find much longer rides on. The only draw back in Summer is the number of swimmers in the water due to the shallow sandy beach break. Summer also provides many more beginner surfers in the water. You can rent surfboards back on the highway just a few hundred feet inland from the parking lot. As quiet as this place is compared to the other beaches in San Diego, All bets are off if a big south swell shows up. There are plenty of Surf shops near-by and many good surfing beaches up and down the highway from here.

All the beaches in San Diego are popular but this little beach is a great find when it comes to avoiding the crowds.

Learn more about this author, Brian Chandler.
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