Tamarack:
Most of San Diego lies dormant throughout the long summer months, as south swells march straight past and along to the beaches farther north. Carlsbad is situated right on the cutoff point for south swell retrieval. It is a welcome relief for San Diegans tired of surfing the meager surf we receive throughout June, July and August. The city stretches for six miles along the coast, and, unlike most cities in North County, virtually all of the coastline is accessible.
Carlsbad is sandwiched between two exceptionally different towns. Oceanside, to the north, is a military community, while Leucadia, to the south, is alternately affluent and hippy-esque. Carlsbad serves as a transition between the two, and one end of the city is quite different from the other. You may not see hundreds of Marines walking the streets of North Carlsbad, but you probably wouldn’t have any trouble finding a barber with special $5 haircuts for military personnel.
The beaches throughout Carlsbad are mostly unimpressive beachbreaks, with the exception of a few quality spots. If it weren’t for man-made jetties and rivermouths, Carlsbad would be nothing but a six-mile expanse of closed-out garbage. Luckily, our tax dollars went toward a few adjustments to the coast, which have benefited surfers immensely.
Tamarack State Park is located at the foot of Tamarack Avenue, which is nothing more than a parking lot right on the beach. Peaks form just to the north of the small river, which provides enough water movement to create some decent sandbars. Conditions vary greatly here with tide and swell, but it’s best with a medium tide and a south swell less than 6 feet. While Tamarack doesn’t often see perfectly lined-up waves, it does offer plenty of fun, shifting peaks that seem to have some kind of lip to destroy. With a larger swell, a right-hander begins to break off the south side of the river. The takeoff zone is between the two jetties, and the right wraps into the beach around the southern jetty. A lower tide is best on this side.
Ponto Jetties:
For years, this stretch of sand in South Carlsbad was indecipherable from the miles of other average beachbreak in the area. But, as some spots fade into obscurity over the years, others rise to center stage. Ponto — thought to have derived from a mispronunciation of the Spanish punto, or “point” — is one case where the Army Corps of Engineers have done some good for the area’s surfers. A few years ago, when they decided that the Batiquitos Lagoon needed to be opened up on a permanent basis, they constructed two large jetties that, since then, have proven to be a virtual sandbar factory. The word’s definitely caught on over time, however, so a newly formed bank doesn’t stay secret for long.
Ponto breaks year-round, with rights funneling off the south jetty during the winter and lefts reeling off the north jetty during the summer. Since the lagoon is constantly flowing, watch for a nasty rip that’ll suck you out to sea before you have time to adjust the zipper on your wetsuit. And, with every wave you catch that doesn’t morph into a worthless closeout, thank the Corps for a job well done.