Piedras Blancas Spot Guide

Pico Creek at the north end of downtown San Simeon. It will be either a thick, right-hand reefbreak wave during clean conditions or a peaky, rocky beachbreak on smaller days. The reef sits in front of the creek's mouth and is clogged with seaweed and boils, yet manages to produce a rather decent right which peaks on the outside, backs off, then reforms and bowls into the inside section.

Popular with surfers of all types, Pico Creek is a fairly reliable spot if the swell is bigger than chest-high. If it isn't, walk south of the short staircase. There you'll find a wide beachbreak punctuated with several boulders and patches of shallow reef. Unsurfable on anything bigger than a few feet overhead, the beachbreak proves valuable during the summertime.