1
Places to Launch and Camp / Re: Santa Cruz swell exposure
« on: May 28, 2024, 02:46:00 PM »Thinking of checking out Santa Cruz on Wednesday for the first time as everywhere else is looking pretty off limits, possibly at Mitchell's Cove. No wind but showing a 7 foot NW swell, curious how much of that swell will reach the reefs off of Mitchell's Cove/the lighthouse? Am I better off heading to Capitola?
Windy says 7' at 8 seconds, which would definitely not be fun. Since it's from the NW, you would get some protection from the full force of that, but I'm guessing it would still be pretty bumpy. There might be enough bumpiness so that the fish get lockjaw too. Also, I assume that you are aware of those evil stairs at Mitchell's Cove...
You might want to consider launching from the west side of the harbor (the "A" or "F" dock). You don't even have to go half way to the mile buoy to be in a halibut zone, and there are a few rockfish areas near there too (but, not as good for RF as Mitchell's).