Surf: Beachbreak peaks with rock shelves to the north; very popular with wind-assisted surfers. Can’t handle any size, but offers a lot of small-wave potential during summer and autumn. High tide best; takes any clean, small swell — the peakier, the better. Environment: Intimate proximity to the Año Nuevo food chain. Watch for creek marker along Hwy 1 and park in the large dirt lot on the ocean side. Surf: General: Waddell Creek is several hundred yards of reefs and beachbreaks leading up to a rivermouth, then more beachbreaks with more reefs at the north end. Waddell Creek is the workhorse spot for Santa Cruz surfers. It tends to be best in the morning before the onshore winds come up, and it can be good all day when the winds are blowing offshore. When the wind comes up, the sailboarders take over, but when it's not windy enough for them, the kitesurfers are out there. Waddell Creek is open to everything and does a good job of handling it all. The reefs love a mid-size W or S swell, and the beachbreaks like anything up to double-overhead, from any direction. There's nothing faux about Waddell Creek. This is an industrial-strength surf spot, which also happens to be at the mouth of one of the prettiest valleys on the coast. Catch it on a blue, offshore, head-high day in the fall, and welcome to NorCal heaven. Tides: Incoming to high Size: Waist high-2X overhead Wind: E or glassy Swell: W, NW, SW Bottom: Sand and reef Paddling: Moderate. Spot Rating: Good. Access: Lots of parking down below and up along the highway on the south end. Crowds: Crowd Factor: Sometimes high. This place is inundated with the overflow from Santa Cruz. Local Vibe: Sometimes high, usually mellow. Environment: Clean. Hazards: Sharks, sailboarders, kite surfers, stoke overload. Season: January-December