Swami's

Swami's is a right-hand reef point break that peels over a rock ledge and rewards intermediate to expert surfers. The wave responds dramatically to tide changes—lower tide produces a steeper, more hollow wall suitable for performance surfing. Fall and winter bring the best conditions, with swells regularly exceeding ten feet. The break accommodates a wide range of boards, from shortboards and fish to guns and longboards.

Swami's has been a focal point of California surfing for decades, its name deriving from Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, whose Self-Realization Fellowship ashram overlook the break from the bluff above (established 1937). The Swami's Surfing Association formed in 1964 as a nonprofit and has run a major premier contest for over two decades, making the spot a venue for competitive and recreational surfing at a regional level.

Access requires parking at Swami's Seaside Park on the bluff—the lot is small and fills quickly on weekends—then descending a wooden staircase carved into the cliff face. The break sits in a protected cove ringed by rocks and reef, creating both the quality surfing conditions and the navigation hazard for paddling out.