Leo Carillo

Surf Guide

An unmistakable right-hander just a half-mile south of the county line where PCH dips down near a scenic cove fringed with large rocks. You may recognize the area as the location of many of the '60s bikini beach movies. On most days, the wave, also known as Secos, peaks up near the big rock outside, then reforms into a spunky inside section. The problem here is the confined take-off area: it supports about six people, or two greedy longboarders (more often the case). To make matters worse, Leo Carrillo also doubles as a popular windsurfing obstacle course when the northwesterlies kick up in the afternoon. When everything (the wind and waves) is working, the lineup can be more stressful than the South Bay curve during rush hour. Leo Carrillo is best on a medium tide, with south or southwest swells up to double overhead. There are a series of rock reefs outside that will hold a big west or northwest and push the take-off zone north and outside of the rock, making it set up more like a point. On the biggest swells, there is another point farther north called Primo's. Water temps tend to be strangely cooler here, due to the odd fact that no one has ever peed in their wetsuit at Leo Carrillo.