The waves off San Diego blow away Pensacola Beach waves. I've been using my 7'4" fish board with great success out here. I've been surfing at Tourmaline surf park off Pacific Beach. The weather has been really nice, but a full wetsuit is essential. I'm glad I picked one up at Innerlight before heading out west. The beach consists of steep cliffs and black and brownish sand on a shallow incline. There are portions of beach that are fairly rocky underwater, but they can be avoided by going closer towards the pier to the south. The shallow incline of the beach allows the tide to come in almost all the way up, so if you bring anything to the beach, make sure its far enough towards the cliff so as not to be swept away. To the northern end of the beach, there is a cliff the protrudes out, sorta making half a point break. I avoided that area because of the large numbers of boulders in the water out there. As for the waves, they were decent size and, while not glassy, are much better lined up and better spaced than Pensacola waves. I've also discovered that the shallow incline of the slope causes waves to build smoother at a shallower angle before breaking. The waves peel instead of 
barreling as well as take longer to break. This makes it easier to catch a wave and stand up. Unlike days of large surf in Pensacola, I caught and stood up on more waves than I wiped out on. Additionally, the sets are better spaced out, and duck diving is pretty easy, so it's not too hard to get to the line up. However, not all is perfect. The majority of surfers at Tourmaline are on longboards (10+ ft) and have a significant advantage over shorter boards. Longboards are easier to paddle and because they float so well, they are able to catch a wave further out than with my board. It was incredible how the board could catch as waves that didn't have much slope. With my fish, I had to catch the same wave a little closer to shore, when the face was steeper. There are also many SUP boarders out there, and most annoyingly, was a damn kite boarder who kept cutting in front of me on every good wave. They don't need waves to propel themselves, so they should stay off waves that real surfers are trying to catch. John Kerry kite boards, he doesn't surf. There is a big difference. The big thing here is to have proper surfing etiquette, if your not sure what that is, try searching it on the web or getting it out of a book. You shouldn't be in the water without it. You'll not only be impolite, but also a safety hazard. For example, I gave right of way to the kite boarder dude and the longboarders when they were already established on the wave, but if your on a board with a wave catching advantage, you shouldn't hog the waves. I did find that by setting up a little closer to shore, I could catch waves that the longboarders misjudged and were unable to catch.
On the 29th, I took my younger brother and sister out. They had decent luck, it was their first time surfing, but they did alright. They rented 8'3" foamy longboards, a decent choice for a beginner, especially with the rocks around, but my sister could've used a little shorter of a board for easier handling in the water. I had a pretty good time yesterday, I was out by myself for 4+ hours and was pretty wiped afterward. I caught a wave and rode it laterally in front of the break which was pretty cool. Hopefully work on that a little more when I get out later today. Also, I found it was beneficial to catch a wave before it broke to set up a good angle to ride, as opposed to getting caught up in the white wash when the section closes out. Also, like in snowboarding when you bounce up to gain speed, I found it advantageous to pump my board to get extra speed. I haven't mastered it by any means. I also found that by only combing lines into surf wax horizontally, I was able to get much better grip on the board than with cross hatching; just make sure you have deep enough was on the board that you can carve down into.
I know I sorta bashed Pensacola surfing, but the crazy breaks and powerfully breaking waves have made me much better at reading waves, dealing with wipe outs, and surfing in general. Training under sub-ideal conditions is beneficial, just not the best for mastering wave riding techniques. I have some pics I'll post, I may be heading to a place called "Garbage", I'll let you know how it goes. By the way, it was cool watching the really awesome guys riding the longboards, it looked like something straight from Endless Summer. Happy New Year!
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