Tell me about your dreams of summer surf: here's mine.

Winter gives way to spring, which slips into summer. Officially the start of summer is the solstice in June, but the change can slide unobtrusively onto us anytime from late March to July. You won't know it at the time, but the last rainy spell, the last north-west ground swell, or the last cold snap is likely the end of spring. It's only looking back that you realize what occurred.

Summer surf is almost always dramatically different from winter surf. The latter is all about the great storms in the North Pacific, anywhere from Japan to the Gulf of Alaska, and the substantial north-west ground swells they send to our shores. These are the waves that fire at the right point breaks for which this area is famous.

But summer surf has several characteristic drivers:

1. The first is no driver at all. Summer can be a devilishly flat season, with week after interminable week of no waves at all. Surfers in northern California dread this state of affairs, when even Ocean Beach is unrideable because of meager swell energy.

2. North-west wind swell can be a feast in the midst of famine. Summer brings prevailing north-west winds that can howl in the afternoons, sometimes even overnight. If the wind takes a break the next morning, waves can be ridden before the next blow. Some spots maximize the wind swell; but don't start counting on uncrowded waves, they aren't secret spots by any definition.

3. Out of season north-west ground swell occurs once in a blue moon. So don't wait under water for this option, but when it happens be prepared to be on it.

4. South swell is the most famous and eagerly anticipated source of summer surf. Some seasons don't feature any southern hemis, while other years have a relative smorgasbord. Once in a great while a macking south will drive double overhead peelers into the breaks of this county. Popular surf spots show a different personality with the wave fronts from a different direction. Some places only break on souths; a few of these feature lefts for the goofies among us, and the goofy at heart surfers too.

So what's my summer dream? Actually, it's none of the above. Don't misunderstand, I enjoy a solid south swell as much as the next board rider. But my dream is .... TRAVEL! Summer is the perfect time to take a surf trip to spots far removed from Santa Cruz County.

It takes some cash, some time available, an understanding family, and a sense of adventure. But there are so many places in this big world with waves in the summer months, that you just have to visit at least a few of them.

Our summer months are dry months in Indonesia. Bali, Java, Mentawais are all good destinations for surf adventure. And Bali is as close to paradise as you can get and still be on terra firma.

Our summer is Australia's winter. Possibilities are almost endless for destinations and surf breaks to explore. Check a map; Australia has so much coast line it would be a miracle if it didn't have waves.

Actually there are many many south Pacific islands you can visit. But I've been to Fiji and can attest to the awesome surf you can find there in July, August, September....

Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica - Sure it's the wet season, but these countries have long extended coast lines on the Pacific Ocean that pull the southern waves like a magnet pulls iron filings.

This is just a small list, representing places I've actually visited. Do you have tales of Africa, the Carribean, Europe, Asia, Alaska, or others? Send me an email describing your summer tripping for surf, and I'll share the stories with us all. Until then, keep your summer dreams alive. Plan a surf trip for this year if you can, If not, start arrangements for the summer of '09. You won't know until you go. And when you return to your home break, which will be flat, your grin will tell the tale for all your buds. You are stoked!

CU Out There,

DogMan