help me choose please

PeakOutput

right so basically as soon as i graduate in may i will be in the very lucky position of being able to choose pretty much exactly were i want to live and work

so i have commitments for the summer in new england in the us but after october i can move anywhere and im thinking california as there is plenty of work for me there

but were in california is the best place for surfing? i am very much a beginner but want a place as on my doorstep as possible so i can go out every free day i have and progress fast so i dont want it to be an area with just beginner waves

being near a major city and good scuba diving in the area are bonuses

so were should i be looking?

edit; also there is a chance ill end up in australia next winter instead of california and can choose between sydney and melbourne. i think melbourne would suit me better but whats the difference in the surfing between the two?

Decos

Nice predicament man!

California sounds class but i havent been there myself so i couldnt comment.

Re Sydney vs Melbourne, id say Sydney is a better bet. I lived there for a while and learned to surf on Bondi,Tamarama and Manly. I havent been to Melbourne but as far as i know its about an hours drive to the nearest surfing beach whereas in Sydney you've got a lot of surfing beaches much closer.

Do you mind me asking what you do/study?

PeakOutput

Decos wrote: »

Nice predicament man!

California sounds class but i havent been there myself so i couldnt comment.

Re Sydney vs Melbourne, id say Sydney is a better bet. I lived there for a while and learned to surf on Bondi,Tamarama and Manly. I havent been to Melbourne but as far as i know its about an hours drive to the nearest surfing beach whereas in Sydney you've got a lot of surfing beaches much closer.

Do you mind me asking what you do/study?

ye i cant complain too much. i study digital media design, and actually just got a job as a web developer which i can do from home which will help me make this plan actually happen but thats not the real reason i have so much freedom

i work mainly in the skydiving industry which is quite a small but very spread out community so there is work for me anywhere there is a dropzone really and there are plenty in california and australia has the second biggest skydiving industry in the world(after new zealand)

keryl

Sydney has the beaches

surf beaches from Melbourne are 1.5+hr on the freeway. Though lots of choices on either side of the peninsula.

If you have a car and don't work till 9 or so you could do a quick surf in Melbourne (Mornington Peninsula, Philip Island, Ocean Drive (Torquay) in the mornings but Sydney would be easier.

seachto7

would the skydiving not all be inland though?

PeakOutput

seachto7 wrote: »

would the skydiving not all be inland though?

nope, there are plenty on the coast. If I went to australia for example the places i would be working actually land the skydivers right on the beach. there are places in florida that land on the beach too. In california they are a little more inland but there are places were you can see the beach from altitude so its not more then say 30 mins away and i could live half way between the two

there are plenty of dropzones more inland as well though

basically my plan is find the best areas for surfing(as well as some other sports) and then find the closest dropzones to those areas and see if the distances work out

snowyeoghan

Well in regards to California, there are plenty of areas to consider moving to:

San Francisco/Santa Cruz Area, LA and surrounding areas and then San Diego.

I live in Santa Cruz, aka surf city (but theres some controversy on who actually holds that nickname - Santa Cruz or Huntingdon Beach, Orange County)

Theres a break for everybody here - from beginners @Cowells Cove to intermediate @the hook/sharks cove and the more advanced @steamer lane

But what may shock you is the crowds. Its unbelievable the number of people in the water - anyway, thats a whole different topic.

Further south you have Santa Barbara and LA county and then San Diego has a tonne of breaks. But I havent gone beyond Huntingdon Beach so cant really comment on SD.

Check out wanna wanna surf: http://www.wannasurf.com/spot/North_America/USA/California/

Some of the descriptions of surf spots aren't great, but it does give you a good view of the various surf spots.

Mickeroo

I'd move to New Zealand if I was you!!