ALL THAT GLITTERS: Dispatch - Newport Beach, CA

Every street in Newport ultimately ends on the sand, where stacked socal condos meet equally stacked South-swell lines.

The Bedrock:

Located about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles and spanning six miles of surf-rich coastline, Newport is pretty soft in the way of craggy geological features. But hear this: You can snag a sunrise session in the morning and hop on a ski lift at nearby Bear Mountain by lunchtime. Pretty cool, huh?

The region’s perfect weather attracted mass development in the first half of the 20th century, but much of its allure derives from the surf. The Corona del Mar Surfboard Club was the continental United States’ first surf organization and in 1928 Tom Blake defeated Duke Kahanamoku in California’s first official surf contest, the Pacific Coast Surfing Championship.

In the late 1960s, the jetties were stapled into the beaches of western Newport to slow erosion. This helped solidify beachfront housing and reinforced an already swell-sensitive stretch of coastline.

Though development thrives, Newport resides vulnerably between the San Andreas and the Newport-Inglewood faults. In 1933, a horrific earthquake rumbled through Orange County killing 115 people and resulting in 40 million dollars of damages. The earthquake’s epicenter was located just off the coast of Newport Beach.

The Skinny:

Newport embodies the glory of the beach break. Not too many places in California have bragging rights to a 15-yard paddle and 50-yard barrel year round. Newport does. While most of its beaches face west and southwest, enough nuances litter the coastline to absorb swell regardless of direction. That said, “Newps” works best with crossed-up lines; too much of a single direction means pounding closeouts.

The Ride:

54th Street: “It’s the hot spot,” says Knost. “There are waves every day and it’s a great place for photographers to shoot. Everyone has a sticker on their board and there’s lots of attitude compared to the rest of California.”

River Jetties: “The sand deposits are always solid, and it’s a really fun wave,” says Knost. River Jetties is ironic in that it’s probably the most consistent break in the area as well as the break where you’ll most likely contract Hepatitis. “I’ve gotten really sick from surfing there,” Knost admits.

Blackies: “Day in and out, it’s the most crowded wave here,” says Knost. As its name suggests, this is the black sheep of the neighborhood—because it’s a longboard spot. Even in the most forward-thinking, trend-oriented surf community in America, longboarding has a home.

The Wedge: This place is a killer. Literally. It’s claimed six lives, and aside from Pipeline and Sandy Beach, the Wedge has injured more watermen than any other wave. “There aren’t many waves in the world that break like it does,” says Knost.

The Point: “Probably my favorite wave in Newport when it gets good,” says Knost. The Point is a picky bastard, and requires hyper-specific conditions to ignite. “It doesn’t break very often, but when it does, it attracts the whole circus,” says Punker Pat.

Dangers:

Cops: “There’s no crime in Newport Beach so police take a lot of pride in arresting people that aren’t doing anything really illegal,” says Knost.

Parking Tickets: Wait. You found a parking spot in the summer? Holy crap! Buy a lottery ticket RIGHT NOW!

Orange County Girls: “They’re a good danger, more than anything,” says Punker Pat. This is where bleached ideals have become the norm courtesy of shows like The OC and Newport Harbor, which means you’re either head-over-heels for the place or you’re just plain over the place.

Pollution: “After a rain everything from Santa Ana to Barstow just mushrooms out into the river resulting in crazy sinus infections,” says Punker Pat. With the Santa Ana River Mouth pouring its filthy heart and soul into the Pacific, water-quality levels hover between Gross and Oil.

Blackballs: From May thru October the use of hardboards is prohibited between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Considering the heart of the surf industry lives and dies beneath these lifeguard towers, it doesn’t make much sense.

Bad Tattoos: “The tattoo parlors are within dangerously close proximity to the bars,” Knost says jokingly.