Surf: Five miles of windswept, sharky beachbreak, surfed only during the summer months or during a tiny swell. The beach faces NW, so it receives the brunt of winter storm surf and all other swells throughout the year; a good place to check when Point Arena isn’t breaking. Heavy rips, uneven bottom contours, littoral currents, undertows, and a nasty shorepound. The northernmost end of the beach is called Alder Creek and is the exact same as the rest of the place, though a bar sometimes forms at the creek mouth. Best at higher tides. Located at the bottom of Alder Creek Beach Road. Environment: This is where the San Andreas Fault leaves the land and heads north into the ocean.