Doheny State Beach- Guide to SUP Surfing, Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Kayaking and Surfing
Doheny State Beach, located in Dana Point, is a historic coastal park renowned as California's very first state beach, established in 1931. Offering excellent year-round surfing, tide pooling, and highly sought-after beachfront camping, it remains one of the most popular and scenic destinations in Orange County
Doheny State Beach is widely considered one of the foundational birthplaces of modern U.S. surf culture. Located in Dana Point, CA, it served as the original stomping ground for surf legends and a cradle of the surf industry in the 1950s and 60s. While today it is known as a gentle, longboarding beginner spot, its history is deeply tied to the destruction of "Killer Dana," a world-class right-hand point break that was eliminated by the construction of Dana Point Harbor in 1966.
Guide to surfing and SUP surfing at Doheny:
Doheny State Beach has several spots to surf and SUP surf. The Dana Point Harbor break wall makes the waves smaller at the west side of the beach. When the swell is large, the west still can have some fun waves though smaller than other nearby spots because of the breakwall. Heading East down the beach and east of the breakwall, there are some other spots to ride where the waves are usually a little bigger.
Here is a video of me SUP surfing at Doheny State Beach:
I have more information about Dana Point on my Dana Point page!
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