Fort Point.

About

Fort Point breaks at the cobblestone headland directly beneath the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge. A left-hand point that wraps off the corner of the Presidio bluff and peels south into the cove, only when long-period swell is big enough to refract through the Gate itself. The most photographed wave in the city: foreground is the rider, background is the bridge. Has been a working surf spot since the 1960s, despite military closures and signage.

Fort Point needs west to north-west swell with periods of 13 seconds and up to wrap into the Gate. Workable from 1.5 to 4 m on the buoy; outside that range the wave either doesn’t show or the channel turns unrideable. Best on a low incoming tide. Wind from the south is the offshore line; the high Presidio cliffs also shelter the lineup from the north-west winds that flatten Ocean Beach across town.

Fickle: for every working day there are five flat or blown-out ones. The lineup is small and locals know it. Tidal current through the Gate runs hard and pulls boards out into the shipping lane before you realise. Cold water, kelp on the cobblestones, ferries crossing the channel all day. Sit at the bluff and watch a swell wrap before committing. Treat it as a privilege, not a queue.