How to embrace SoCal’s surfer vibes (whether or not you actually surf)

By Rachel Schnalzer

Good morning, fellow Escapists. Piggybacking off last week’s newsletter — which showcased the best beaches in California, according to Escapes readers — I’m back with another ocean-oriented edition.

This weekend marks the beginning of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing, typically held in late July in Huntington Beach. In celebration of this mega-festival, I put together a list of ways both surfers and nonsurfers can enjoy the waves in Orange County and beyond this summer.

But before we get into the aquatic stuff, I’d like to pass along a fellow reader’s words about a camping trip she took earlier this summer:

“We spent nine days camping at Upper Sage Flat out of Big Pine at the end of June. The hike from the trailhead parking lot by Glacier Lodge along the South Fork of Big Pine Creek … was lined with a variety of wildflowers; it was like walking through a huge garden. Magical, especially with the mountain backdrop.

“And, as usual for this time of year ... the hike from South Lake to Bishop Pass was just stunning, full of so many different wildflowers and grasses and other blooming, growing things. Including mosquitoes, so bug repellent is highly recommended!”
— Carol Hunt

Have you gone on a trip you’d like to share with fellow readers? Send me an email, and I may include it in a future edition.

Now, let’s go surfing.

Be awe-inspired at the 2022 U.S. Open of Surfing

Near the Huntington Beach Pier, Yago Dora of Brazil celebrates his U.S. Open victory in 2019.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Surf, skate and BMX competitions. An on-site surfboard shaping and glassing station. A market with local surf brands.

You’ll be able to find all of this and more when the U.S. Open of Surfing descends on Huntington Beach, beginning this weekend. Running from July 30 to Aug. 7, the free festival will be found south of the Huntington Beach Pier. It’s a great day trip for time-tested surfers, as well as newcomers to the sport.

During the eight-event Challenger Series, surfers will attempt to qualify for the Championship Tour, a high-level competition tier. Check out the full schedule of events here.

If you fall in love with watching the competitions, mark your calendar for the International Surfing Assn. World Surfing Games, which will be held in Huntington Beach Sept. 17-24.

Try surfing for yourself

Vanessa Yeager, kneeling, teaches a surf lesson in April in Newport Beach. Yeager founded Women Who Surf and the Latinx Surf Club.

(Vanessa Yeager)

Surfing is for everyone, not just the pros or people who grew up near the beach. If you feel inspired after watching expert surfers charge waves at the U.S. Open, consider reaching out to one of the many surfing instructors based up and down the California coast who can show you how to get started.

Vanessa Yeager is one of those instructors. Last year, Sara Cardine of the Daily Pilot profiled Yeager, who teaches private lessons and founded the Women Who Surf group and the Latinx Surf Club.

Familiar with the waters off Orange County, “she surfs nearly every sunrise at Newport Beach,” Cardine wrote.

“I was really grateful Vanessa was there to teach me and help me get out. She was the main reason I kept going and am still out there,” Azalea Ugalde of Santa Ana told Cardine. “She really puts no labels on anyone. She welcomes everyone — I really love that.”

Interested in signing up for a lesson with Yeager? Send her a message on Instagram.

Samantha Sibley competes off Oceanside in San Diego County during the final heat of the 2019 Nissan Super Girl Surf Pro.

(Photo by Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune; illustration by Jim Cooke / Los Angeles Times)

Go on a surf museum tour of Southern California

Next time you’re in Huntington Beach, stop by the International Surfing Museum to dive deeper into the sport’s history across the California coast and beyond.

The museum — one of the main attractions in Huntington Beach — is packed with surfing artifacts and memorabilia, including a surfboard that belonged to Duke Kahanamoku, considered “the father of modern surfing.”

As you explore Huntington Beach’s downtown area, you won’t miss the museum; in the parking lot resides the 42-foot-long surfboard that helped the coastal city clinch the Guinness World Record for “most people riding a surfboard” in 2015.

But the International Surfing Museum isn’t the only museum in Southern California dedicated to the sport.

The California Surf Museum is 55 miles south, in the heart of Oceanside. Right now, an exhibition titled “Donald Takayama: Shaping Boards and Lives” focuses on showcasing the artistry and skill of a legendary board shaper. The museum is also home to exhibits about wave science, the evolution of boogie boarding and more.

Give back to the ocean

(Photo by Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times; illustration by Jim Cooke / Los Angeles Times)

After spending an hour or two in the water, it’s hard not to feel a sense of gratitude for all the ocean provides. Visitors to coastal Orange County and beyond can give back by learning more about the ocean and helping to keep it clean for others.

• Attend a beach cleanup event: Orange County Coastkeeper, an organization focused on protecting the region’s freshwater and saltwater ecosystems, hosts beach cleanups throughout the summer. The next cleanup will be held at San Clemente State Beach on Aug. 6. Do you live outside Orange County? Check your local Surfrider chapter’s calendar of events for close-to-home beach cleanups.

• See wildlife at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center: The Laguna Beach wildlife organization rescues, rehabilitates and releases marine mammals while teaching members of the public how to be good stewards of the ocean. Visitors have the chance to see recovering sea lions and seals at the center, open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, though donations are accepted.

• Visit the Ocean Institute: Dedicated to all things underwater, the Dana Point center offers exhibitions and tours designed to educate visitors about the ocean, as well as California’s maritime history. Its Bioluminescence Night Cruises, offered during the summer, look particularly intriguing. The institute is open to the public on weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; admission costs $15 for adults and $7.50 for children.

🎸 Road song

”California Finally” by La Luz offers a generous helping of Golden State surf rock vibes. Play it as you look for parking at the U.S. Open of Surfing. (Here’s a link to Huntington Beach’s official parking guide.)