Interview with Mike McCreary (Long Version) Part I

[Mike McCreary owned a surf shop on Hwy 1 in 1981]

Interview with Mike McCreary (Long Version) 1981

Mike McCreary (MM): In the early fall there’s really good surfing at Venice Street and Kelly Street and sometimes Dunes Beach–primarily Venice Street and a street the surfers call N St which is halfway between Kelly & Venice. I guess it means “No Street.”

MM: Right where the pier goes out–that pier has created a channel–the pier they put out there to lay pipe. A temporary pier to lay sewarge outfall line. (I think the sewage might back up against the reef–but that’s another subject).

MM: Where the pier goes out, it creates a natural rip tide.

MM: When we get good waves in the winter, they’re usually pretty big–if you don’t have a rip tide to create a channel you can’t really get out–you can get out but you can’t have fun. The pier creates a natural channel on both sides. so the surf’s been really good there the last couple of winters which is a new spot.

MM: Pier’s been there about two years.

MM: The reason the waves are good in the fall is because we get offshore winds from the east that blow out of the canyons. When it’s warmer over here than over the hill (when the sun’s out here and the fog’s over the hill) it can create east winds for the whole area. East winds make ideal surfing conditions.

MM: From right now (Sept-March) it’s a really good time to surf in Half Moon Bay.

MM: You could surf all year ’round at the jetty–that’s a natural spot. The reason it’s good all year long is because the prevailing winds come from the northwest–and the headland, Pillar Point, locks the northwest wind but blocks the chop the wind creates and in the lee? of the jetty it’s nice and smooth and the wind kind of blows sideways.

…to be continued…