Description

In 1885, three Hawaiian princes rode the waves at the San Lorenzo River mouth, creating one of the earliest documented accounts of surfing on the U.S. mainland. On this Santa Cruz surf history walking tour, you'll visit the very spot where it happened and hear the remarkable story behind it.

From those Hawaiian roots to the pioneering Santa Cruz Surfing Club of the 1930s, early surf shops and legendary waterman Jack O'Neill, Santa Cruz has played an outsized role in the evolution of California surf culture. You'll discover how O'Neill helped revolutionize cold-water surfing with the modern wetsuit, how local surfers pushed board design and aerial surfing forward, and how Santa Cruz became a training ground for surfers who would eventually take on the massive waves of Mavericks.

Along our oceanfront route, we'll visit iconic surf spots and talk about what makes Steamer Lane such an extraordinary wave. You'll learn some of the basics surfers use to read the ocean — swell direction, tides, wind, wave shape and sets — along with practical tips for learning to surf and understanding surf etiquette and the sometimes complicated history of localism in Santa Cruz.

But the coastline tells an even bigger story. We'll look at how powerful winter storms and El Niño events shape the beaches and erode the cliffs, and how the geology of the coast helps create the waves surfers travel from around the world to ride.

Keep an eye on the water, too. Sea lions, harbor seals, seabirds, dolphins and even whales are all possible sightings along the way.

This isn't just a Santa Cruz surfing history tour. It's a walk through more than a century of surf innovation, personalities, ocean knowledge and beach culture — and a chance to understand why the waves, cliffs and Pacific Ocean have shaped Santa Cruz into one of America's most distinctive surf communities.