"It wasn't exactly La Graviere, France but I ain't complaining," laughed San Clemente's Nate Yeomans while reflecting on the past fortnight of California surf.
It's no secret: fall's a great season for waves around the globe. (Not convinced? Check out our September Sessions slideshow.) But there's a reason why our expert forecaster team threw the dart at the Golden State for October's Best Bet for the third year in a row.
"It's always nice to be home this time of year," continued Yeomans, who was grounded in Orange County with the birth of his daughter. "There's generally swell from the north, the south and from hurricanes, so California has a lot of options."
And while much of the Cali pro contingent was off chasing ratings points in France, Spain and Portugal, those able to stay put (for whatever reason) surely reveled in California's golden time of year.
"I'm not missing the tour at all," Bobby Martinez said after scoring uncrowded surf not too far from his Santa Barbara home. "It's been a long, horrible summer until just the last few weeks - we've finally been getting some fun waves. My favorite thing is when the weather starts to change and the summer crowds are gone."
