How To Surf Rincon, according to Conner Coffin

1. This is about how far you can go on a really good day at low tide. I’ve had barrels all the way through here. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when the sand is good enough it’ll go. It doubles up and you can get long, stand-up barrels. It’s sick.

2. This is where you first come down onto the beach. It’s the most “iconic” part of Rincon. You go down the trail and it opens up and you get your first glimpse of the Cove. There’s a little pit or beach shack that some of the boys have built over the years. Most days they’re down there barbecuing and heckling and marinating.

3. The parking lot, pull off 101 and you’re there. When it’s on it’s a scene with everybody that comes through. You’ll see all these different, crazy boards. I love the energy. It’s like basecamp before everybody heads down the trail and has their own little adventure at Rincon.

4. When it’s head-high at the top of the point the wave will usually have been groomed down to waist-high little reelers by the time they hit this part of the point. I avoid the Cove a lot on days like that because it gets congested, but some days you’ll get those ones where you get a chip in from up top and they end up growing into the inside. This is the mid-way section of the Cove where it can speed up a lot. You’ll find guys posted up on the rocks here taking pictures and filming and what not.

5. When it’s on at the top of the Cove it’s my favourite place to surf. It’s probably the hardest part of Rincon to get a wave, but when you do it’s really good and those waves go all the way to the freeway. You really have to hustle to beat the crowd, but it’s so worth it when you do.

6. The rivermouth is where the sand comes from. If we get a lot of rain, which we haven’t had for a few years, the sand bars can go crazy. I remember this one year it was one huge bank, just absolutely tapered and perfect. We need some rain.

7. This is that in-between zone. It’s not the Cove, but it’s not Indicator either. Usually the waves here will section off and be funky. The bottom’s kind of uneven and it runs a little fast. You can connect waves here, but only certain ones.

8. Indicator’s is straight off the tip of the point. There’s a seawall you can lineup with, but the wave shifts a lot more up here. It’s not like the Cove where it’s just one long line. There are different sections and you can get waves from a lot of different spots. It’s a lot more hunting. There’s not really a right or wrong lineup. It’s more luck of the draw. Roll the dice and see what you get.