When it comes to surfing spots, most people think of warm places like California and Hawaii, but there are several places to hang 10 right there in the Pacific Northwest.
Here are five top surf areas within a few hours drive of Seattle.
1. Long Beach, Wash.
2. Westport, Wash.
3. La Push, Wash.
4. Seaside, Ore.
5. Haystack Rock, Ore.
Don't forget your wetsuit. Throughout the year, the water temperature can drop as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit even during the summer season.
Surf culture in the Pacific Northwest runs pretty deep. People have been surfing the storm-battered coastline for 40+ years. Al from The Surf Shop in Westport is one of those guys. He came here 40 years ago and was a little intimidated. "People would tell me, 'you can't surf out there, there are too many logs and debris. You're going to get killed'. Little did they know about the wonderful waves we had here. You just had to know when to go out and when to stay in."
Paul from Bellevue has been surfing Westport for 20 plus years. He drives out as often as he can to check out and get away from city life. One of his concerns is about the popularity of the sport....
"One of the main problems about surfing these days comes from its popularity. Too many people are watching X-Games and other extreme sports videos and wanting to come out here. People need to know that surfing isn't an easy sport. You don't go up to Alpental and go down a black diamond on your first run do you? No, you take the time to learn about the slopes and how to carve before you hit the difficult runs. It seems like guys are coming straight out to the lineup and putting other guys in danger."
Surfers can get a little territorial. From my experience, if you try and paddle out in a popular California or Hawaii surf spot, you're going to get a lot of other surfers giving you a hard time. That seems to be a little different in Westport. The surfers here want you to succeed and they want you to enjoy this beautiful ocean. I've found that they're willing to give you advice if you're willing to ask.
There are two surf shops in town that have been around for decades -- The Surf Shop and Steepwater. Both locations would love to teach you about the water if you have any interest in heading out there. Bundle up.
