Por anonymous , 31-10-2005

La Conchita - Went on a 2 1/2 month trip all around lower mexico in 73. Came back and stopped in SB to visit my best friend gary. Next moring we went to check it above Ledbetters...got caught in a CHP inspection trap. They nabbed my 67 bug for 12 safety violations. I tried to explain that i had just got back from 10 weeks in southern mexico. No dice. So pissed off. Headed south and Rincom was hammering but maxed with 80-100 folks out(big crowd in those days). Drove on down to La Conchita(little Rincon)...minus tide and flat glass with zero wind. 6-10 faces and tubing, yes tubing, from the pier all the way through the point. We surfered 8 hours with me and Gary and occasionally a couple other dudes. Epic. Just drop in off the pier and get slotted, stall, and watch the lip roll over. Never seen it close to that since.

Por Lefty , 07-07-2005

Oil Piers Redux - Thanks for sharing your stories, Capt. Grumpie and OP dude. I got the luck of the draw the one day I was there in the late 60's. It started out 2-3 windy mush. After an hour in the water and taking a break it started getting better. I'm goofy and dropped into one wave that walled perfectly in front of me. Being unfamiliar, I feared it sectioning, so I squatted, grabbed the outside rail and hoped.

Tubed! Completely covered for a brief moment/eternity. Popped out on the shoulder and pulled out. My first tube ride!

Ahhhhh... those were the days!

Por Where's the Artificial Reef? , 06-05-2005

O.P. RIP - I too miss Oil Piers. Posted this to the alt.surfing newsgroup back in '97:


The Original “OP”


Before Ocean Pacific shorts, there was “Oil Piers”
Classic wave? Not when compared to the Queen of the Coast
Just 3 miles north, or even the Queen’s little sister up the road.


I first surfed OP in 1975. I first surfed in 1975.
Gyro and I were 15. Frank was 16, had a license and a ‘64 VW Bug
with a 6 volt battery and an 8-track tape deck. In the pre dawn we
would blast down Hwy 126 towards Ventura, jamin’ to Ted Nugent
and Scorpions, amping to take on whatever we could find between
the Fairgrounds and the piers. We would surf all the spots in between
but, loved the piers!!


The piers are magic. Far enough out of town to allow you a bit of beach
leverage. No parking meters, no lifeguard, no facilities, just oil sucking
piers and sand sucking barrels when it comes together.


I’ve surfed there, slept there, seen inside out tubes from the inside there.
I’ve partied with friends, hung out and made new friends there.
Body surfed, longboarded and everything in between there.
I’ve never jumped off the pier but, know a guy that broke his neck there.
Been in the water with Kim Merig and Tom Curren when both were
pro. I’ve swam naked at midnight there. I’ve seen a grunion run there.
I’ve seen the beach packed with bikini’s and played beach blanket
bingo ;-) there. Today I had lunch there...four guys out, not as good
as yesterday but still looked fun.


It’s history...The gate is going up, the piers are coming down. Could be
an artificial reef and a county park by next winter I hear. It won’t be
OP anymore.


Bummin’

Por anonymous , 20-04-2005

hey - watched this spot for a hour no oen out HAS SEIROUS POTEENTIAL careull of rocks.

Por Capt. Grumpy , 25-03-2005

Oil Piers & Geezers - My friends and I used to catch the South (Shortest) Pier a lot. When the North Pier was crowded or not working, the South Pier would still be uncrowded and a more intense wave. The water was always kinda murky and churned. I remember taking off outside and behind the pier, the shack was just reeling, when suddenly I see my friend standing in knee deep water by the shoulder! That sand bar got so shallow! We sacrificed so many boards there. What a terrible shame those waves are gone. I'm glad I was there!

Oil Piers R.I.P.

Por Surfer , 14-12-2004

Comment - Throw your hands in the air like yous a tru player.

Por anonymous , 31-05-2004

story - I was stayin in the Cliff house Inn this weekend and its like 3-5 right now, but south swell so only california street was breaking any good, and I saw this right peeling off the peir infont of the rocks, and saw one guy out. So I watched him for a while and when he came in I figured id go out, so i did. Right as I get out a nice 4foot or so set comes in and i turn around and take off on the last one, and i zipped right throught the peir and got this rele quick but nice barrel in front of the big rock and then rode it in all the way to the small rocks inside. I was so stoked i stayed out like 3hours until the string holding the leash to the board snapped and my board went all the way into the rocks inside. It only got 2dings in it miraculously. But i couldnt believe that such a nice wave was empty even thought it was better then rincon(flat- 4guys out) and overhead which had like countless people out, but wasnt all that great.

Por Geezer , 10-02-2004

Oil Piers - Anybody here have the chance to surf the Oil Piers just south of here before they were removed (and the great break disappeared)?
I was lucky enough to get tubed there w-a-a-a-a-y back in the day. It was a great little break. Stories?

Por Rock hog , 13-12-2003

Watch the rock - Take off on north side of pier and shoot through it. Will line up after pier with nice barrels past rock on good days. Carefull though as I have seen many people smack the rock and pier, I did my self

Por Rock hog , 13-12-2003

Watch the rock - Take off on north side of pier and shoot through it. Will line up after pier with nice barrels past rock on good days. Carefull though as I have seen many people smack the rock and pier, I did my self