Brooks Street:
If you’re merely passing by Laguna Beach, chances are you’ll take one look at the ocean and ask, “People surf in this town?” But that’s what gives this artsy surf town — full of oddball spots that require oddball conditions to break — its unique charm. Not surprisingly, Laguna is adored by locals and ignored by the surrounding masses. If Laguna were to have one beacon, though, it’d certainly have to be Brooks Street. During large south and southwest swells, this shapeless clump of rocks and reef transforms into a 200-yard racetrack left.
When Brooks Street is on, your first challenge will be finding a parking spot. There are a handful of spaces located right in front of the break, but your chances of getting one of these are equivalent to winning the next WT event at Teahupoo. Laguna Beach is notoriously bad for parking. Don’t be surprised to drive the side streets for an hour on hot sunny days with swell — and still not find a spot. Best bet is to arrive before the rooster crows.
Brooks is strictly a summer and autumn break. Southern hemisphere swells and hurricanes that drift into our swell window off Baja channel into Brooks Street with unfettered power. If you walk down the stairs to the beach and look south, you’ll see the takeoff zone: a submerged reef some 30 yards out. Waves boil off this reef (mondo south swells move out to second and third reefs), create a foamy helping hand over the ledge and throw surfers into a mad dash down the line. As the wave hits the inside section, boils pop up like landmines. You better learn the boils quick, or you’ll be replacing an FCS plug in no time. Obviously, local knowledge goes far here. Laguna Beach surfers know when and where the reef jacks, and they also know when to gas it and when to stall. For the first-timer, it’s a good idea to watch it for a while before paddling out.