A-Beach / California / United States

Short for Atascadero, this beach is found just north of Morro Bay on the central coast of California. It is a pretty consistent break all year round, suitable for everybody in spring and summer and tending towards the more experienced crowd in fall and winter.

The beach is quite long and wide, mostly sand with the odd rock and gravel mixed in with it.  It is a fairly quiet location and gets fewer visitors than it should, and during the week you will be just about the only surfer out while at weekends there will be no more than a handful.  The water here is relatively cool, averaging about 16° in summer and 12 or 13° in winter.

The only good wind here comes from the south, while good swells can come from the north, north-west, west, south-west or south. They will work at all tide positions, rising or falling, and start at 1 m to 1.5 m before reaching just over 3 m. This is a beach break, both right and left, and despite being bigger than average the waves are still pretty ordinary in terms of power and speed and a generally just a fun ride – they just get a bit heavier and faster in winter. Length can be good here and can reach up to 300 m on the best days, but more usually you can expect 100 to 150 m.

There is a parking lot, showers and toilets here.  Lifeguards also patrol during the summer.

Take heed of any shark warnings as there are quite a few in the area, and be careful of the currents and the submerged rocks.