Cayucos Spot Guide

Cayucos, a quaint seaside hamlet plopped down along Highway 1 between the relative metropolis of Morro Bay and the glistening greens of Harmony (population 18), was rated last year by Men's Journal magazine as one of its 25 favorite "hideouts and secret spots." Cayucos (an Aleutian word for "kayak" or "canoe," pronounced ky-YOO-cuss) was first settled as Cass Landing, after New Englander Captain James Cass stuck down his roots in 1867. He and his bros built the 953-foot-long pier, which has since provided countless days of rideable waves for the community's ever-increasing number of surfers.

The Cayucos Pier was first brought to life for the surfing world through a 1982 surf magazine article. While the article explained the overall adversity of the area, the accompanying photographs portrayed the pier's wave to be a crispy, clean, green and predominantly right-hand barrel polished by icy offshores. Newsflash! The photos lie.

Cayucos Pier is essentially a hollow closeout, but that's certainly not to say you won't/can't stumble upon some peelers off the pilings. A long-standing affiliate of the Central Coast's exclusive Fickle Spot Club (FSC), the Cayucos Pier is definitely lousy more often than not, but one noteworthy aspect is that the place is sheltered from the prevailing northerly winds, deeming Cayucos a bit warmer than surrounding area.

This means, of course, that it's more conducive to tourists and fair-weather surfers, most of whom still wax the bottom of their boards. There are some young rippers, so don't be shocked if you see some kid boosting fat air off the end sections. All said, Cayucos Pier is a decent spot to ride some waves along the Central Coast, but don't go in expecting Huntington Beach or even Pismo.