Cannon Beach

A bustling seaside town on the Oregon Coast, Cannon Beach is a popular weekend getaway spot for city slickers from Portland, an hour and a half directly inland. Although the pro surfers usually head down the coast to the bigger breaks and more pristine beaches like Oswald West State Park, Cannon Beach enjoys a busy surfing scene and is one of the most convenient places on the Oregon Coast to learn to surf.

The Breaks

Because the surf usually breaks right on the beach in Cannon Beach, real good surfing is only possible when the waves are small and breaking cleanly. For beginners however, the close-in breaks offer great opportunities to practice getting up and standing in safe and shallow water. On the north end of the beach, Ecola Creek enters the mighty Pacific Ocean and sometimes creates nice, clean medium-sized breaks on its sandbar, but only locals can tell you when this is going to happen.