On this particular day, I was walking down the hill toward the wall when I heard Brian Hames, Buzz Sulphin and JoJo Perrin talking about an article that was coming out in the June edition of Surfing Illustrated. The article was about a trip that some of the MSA crew took to a "new" spot called Pismo Beach (see Volume 3, number 3 of SI for the article). The conversation caught my attention because I had surfed Pismo in 1963 and wasn't that impressed. For one thing the water was super cold (approximately 53 degrees) and its shape was fair at best. However, when I saw the article in SI that month, the black and white photo showed some well-shaped, glassy beach break waves. In 1973 I moved to the Central Coast and soon found out that the Pismo Pier was a "pearl with rough edges."

The pier itself has a long history. First built in 1881, it was destroyed in a storm, only to be rebuilt in 1924 and was 1,780 feet long. Now the property of the State of California, the pier stands as one of central California's most popular coastal tourist attractions.
In 1963, when my friend and I surfed the area, there were probably less than 30 guys that owned boards between Pismo and Morro Bay. Most of the time, it was just my friend and me, surfing by ourselves. SI had reported in the 1965 article that Pismo reminded them of a "South Bay" town and it "had its own surf shop." The fact is, in 2005 Pismo views itself as the real "Surf City" (sorry, Santa Cruzers).
Even its public landmarks (see picture) idealize the concept of an "endless summer." It is a unique beach break because both longboarders and shortboarders can be happy with the waves on the same day. Some days, the north side of the pier can be firing and the south side closing out. It breaks year-round and can usually produce some rideable surf on any given day. But some days it can be absolutely amazing. It has shifting sandbars, and during turbulent seas the sandbars around the pier can line up in such a way that it becomes a "pearl of great worth." It can produce barrels; it can produce size; and it can produce long rides. Some days all three of these come together. Then look out! It can also produce crowds. Unlike in the 60s, the Central Coast now has a large surf culture. Pismo Beach, by the last count, has five surf shops.

In the SI article, they mentioned that by 3 p.m. there was no wind and it was still glassy. They made it sound like it was always that way. Oh, how I wish it were true. Wind is a problem. The dawn patrol group almost always gets the best waves at the pier. On some rare evenings it will glass off. During the fall, offshore winds will flow, giving surfers the ability to get longer sessions.
The Central Coast as a whole gets little coverage in surfing publications. In my 40-plus years involved with surfing I can count on two hands the number of photo shots involving the pier. As a result, the talented surfers that ride the pier get little exposure. They include Eric Sodaquest, Walt Cerny, Chey Cojo, Kilian Garland, Rick Gannon, Jonny Boy Grubbs, Dan Hamlin, Pancho, Phil Rueff, Eric Knowles, and Tim Gayda (who won this year's Pismo Longboarder's Annual Contest).

"Shooting the pier" is rarely done. The pilings in the center of the pier are so close together, it is almost impossible. However, once every ten years, the right wave, at the right tide, at the right spot, and the door can open. It is Pismo folklore that if you shoot the pier, prosperity awaits you. If you try it and miss, you will be a beach bum forever.

Say what you will about Pismo Beach, the pier will long remain a piece of the Central Coast surf culture. People are friendly, surfers are friendly, cops are friendly. Fishermen and surfers do clash on occasion. Surfers will sometimes get entangled with a fisherman's line. Most often, surfers bite off the line and the fishermen get mad, but, hey!, it's all part of a day at the pier, a "pearl with rough edges," in the real "Surf City."