    
During the mid '70s, this mile-long beachbreak was the test tank
for the Campbell Brothers and their Bonzer boards. During the mid
'90s, a prominent Oxnard Shores home was Michael and Kimberly
Mancini's beachfront getaway in the spicy nighttime soap "Melrose
Place." Shores is a fickle wave that's best in the fall months. But
when it's on, it's understandable why the Campbells designed one of
the speediest boards on the planet and why we hooted at the
background scenery when Michael and Kimberly made out in the
shorebreak -- there are more flawless A-frames along this stretch of
windswept beach than in a Home Depot warehouse. Unlike the Campbell
era (or the now defunct "Melrose Place" era, for that matter), the
local atmosphere isn't as stuffy as it used to be, but it's still
advised that you go alone and make fresh tracks at your own peak.
Best tide: low to medium
Best swell
direction: SW
Best size: waist high to double
overhead
Best wind:
E
Perfecto-meter: 7 (1=Lake Erie; 10=Jeffreys
Bay)
Bottom: sand
Ability level:
intermediate to advanced
Bring your:
shortboard
Best season summer,
fall
Access: easy
Crowd factor: none to
moderate
Local vibe: moderate
Bicep
burn: 5 (1=knee-high Waikiki; 10=triple-overhead Ocean
Beach)
Poo patrol: 3 (1=clean; 10=turds in the
lineup)
Shark danger: 2 (1=none; 10=bring an iron
cage)
Quick Fix
-->Grab
a doughnut or a cream puff from Heavenly Cakes and Mor, a heavenly
bakery in the Oxnard Shores shopping center.
To get beachside accommodations in Oxnard, you have two
options: Daniel Boone or Donald Trump. McGrath State Beach (five
miles north) is a popular camping area at the base of the Santa
Clara Rivermouth. Rates are 14 bucks on weeknights and 18 bucks on
weekends. Call 800-444-7275 for reservations. For the creature of
comfort, the Embassy Suites (just south of Oxnard Shores) is a plush
resort yards from shore. Rooms start at $159 per night, and all you
get for that is a view of the plastic trees. Call 800-362-2779 for
reservations.
Oxnard's a farmer's town, named after the family who
started a sugar beet factory in the area back at the turn of the
20th century. That being said, it's a far cry from the artsy fartsy
districts of Santa Barbara and Laguna. But Oxnard isn't completely
devoid of high culture. The Carnegie Art Museum, featuring more than
350 paintings, drawings and photographs from noteworthy American
artists, is worth a visit. Call 805-385-8157 for more info. Every
May, the town rallies around the Strawberry Festival, a local
carnival celebrating the season's new crop. Call 888-288-9242 for
more. And if you want to go Tara Lipinsky on your traveling
comrades, hit up the Oxnard Ice Skating Center (805-988-4440). We're
not recommending this (and you're paying a fine if you get caught),
but if none of the above is up your alley, you might want to do what
the locals do for kicks: make sure the path is clear and take a
50-foot dive off the overpass into the Channel Islands Harbor.
The Sport Port, 2323 Roosevelt, Oxnard,
805-9855243
McCrystal Surfboard Factory, 1851 Sunkist Circle,
Oxnard, 805-604-1818
Revolution Surf Co., 330 N. Lantana,
Camarillo, 805-383-1288
Val Surf, 3055 E. Thousand Oaks
Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 805-497-1166
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