Surf: General: Seal Beach Pier takes what is big and walled up at Huntington Pier and grooms it into nice, snappy little peaks. The most consistent spot to surf is on the north side of the pier, where you get all kinds of surfers ranging from the clueless to the talented. North Side of the Pier is also a great place to learn how to surf with good surf school instruction and small, gentle waves on most days. South side only works on winter swells from the WNW -- the bigger the better -- and is a hot spot for bodyboarding and skimboarding with steep bowly shorebreak.

On a large WNW swell North Side becomes a very demanding wave with steep "pier bowls" that are reflected off the Anaheim Jetty to the south and sweep through the pier. South Side begins to imitate Hawaii with powerful thick bowls that break countless boards each day it pumps.

At the north end of the beach is Ray Bay at the mouth of the San Gabriel River, where you can sometimes find long fun rights on big south swells -- but may actually be best on huge west swells. If the sandbars in the San Gabriel river are currently good, they offer steep hollow sections beginning at the end of the jetty -- especially on bigger swells and lower tides. However, most of the time the River is best for a longboard and beginners. Warm water from the Edison Plant inland keeps the water temps in the higher than the surrounding areas, which also attracts thousands of stingrays so stay off the bottom or do the shuffle.

Seal Beach is in a wind tunnel due to its location below the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and the place is a favorite for kite boarders on windy days. Seal Beach may also be one of the cleanest spots around when the wind is strong out of the northwest due to the south facing coastline and protection from the jetties. Tides: medium Size: River waist high to 3ft overhead; NS Pier waist high to 3ft overhead, SS Pier waist high to 3ft overhead; Cloudbreak double overhead to 5x overhead Wind: Glassy, E, or NE Santa Anas Swell: SSE, S, WSW; W prefers mid and long-period 16sec+ Bottom: Sand, pier, jetty Paddling: Usually an easy paddle unless there is a massive swell. Spot Rating: Really bad or really good, depending on swell. Access: Off PCH, take Main Street and when you get into Seal Beach, a parking spot is $5 a day. Free 1 hour spots on side streets. Crowds: Crowd Factor: Usually crowded with beginners and longboarders, or rippers when it's on. River can be an obstacle course on good swells during the summer. Local Vibe: Usually mellow although the Northside pack and the Southside bodyboarding pack can be brutal on good swells Environment: Usually clean, unless it rains and the San Gabriel River is flowing, then it's an 11. Hazards: Stingrays, beginners, old grumps on the Northside, stingrays, sand implants on the Southside, did we say stingrays? Season: January-December, but fall can be epic.