Waddell Beach (aka Creek) is one of the premier windsurfing spots in the San Francisco Bay area. With strong winds in the summer months and large waves in the fall & spring, it's a famous location where competitions are frequently held.
I haven't windsurfed at Waddell for a long time. It's a difficult place to sail due to a powerful beach break and crowded conditions. I decided to try windsurfing there with both wind and wave forecast favorable (17-23 knots of NW wind with 3-5 foot waves).
The drive from South San Joswas - is only about one hour, with some traffic in the Santa Cruz area. The Waddell parking lot was packed when I arrived, but I found a space.
Rigging and launching are complicated by the lack of grass (to rig sails) and a rocky staircase to the beach. After seeing many windsurfers on 5.0m sails, I decided to also rig an Ezzy Elite 5.0m on my Fanatic 105-liter STB FreestyleWave board.
Launching from the beach is difficult due to the powerful shore break and non-stop incoming waves. After jumping through several wave sets, I finally passed the wave-breaking spot and sailed in the open ocean. I enjoyed sailing on the ocean without worrying about breaking waves.
Here is a short GoPro Hero7 Black video of my windsurfing session at Waddell:
I really enjoyed my sailing here, but I disliked all the sand. It took me a long time to clean up all of my gear.
I haven't windsurfed at Waddell for a long time. It's a difficult place to sail due to a powerful beach break and crowded conditions. I decided to try windsurfing there with both wind and wave forecast favorable (17-23 knots of NW wind with 3-5 foot waves).
The drive from South San Joswas - is only about one hour, with some traffic in the Santa Cruz area. The Waddell parking lot was packed when I arrived, but I found a space.
Rigging and launching are complicated by the lack of grass (to rig sails) and a rocky staircase to the beach. After seeing many windsurfers on 5.0m sails, I decided to also rig an Ezzy Elite 5.0m on my Fanatic 105-liter STB FreestyleWave board.
Launching from the beach is difficult due to the powerful shore break and non-stop incoming waves. After jumping through several wave sets, I finally passed the wave-breaking spot and sailed in the open ocean. I enjoyed sailing on the ocean without worrying about breaking waves.
Here is a short GoPro Hero7 Black video of my windsurfing session at Waddell:
I really enjoyed my sailing here, but I disliked all the sand. It took me a long time to clean up all of my gear.
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