Steamer Lane

Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, California, is one of the state’s best-known surf spots, valued for both its waves and its place in the city’s surf culture. Set below the West Cliff bluffs near downtown, it is a working break and a popular place to watch the ocean, with the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum in the lighthouse above. The name arose in the late 1930s after Claude Horan and Wes Hammond joked about using steamships to make waves. Its several sections, its place within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and its role in innovations by Jack O’Neill, including the modern wetsuit and leash, make it a landmark in surfing history.

Santa Cruz, California · United States