Key Points
- Long Beach once had a legendary surf spot called Flood Control, famed for its waves.
- World War II expansion of the Navy and breakwater destroyed the renowned surf break.
- The great wave is now gone, but remains a significant part of surfing history.
Long Beach, these days, isn’t much of a surf town.
Sure, there’s the occasional hurricane swell (ahem, Marie) that brings waves through the jetties, offshore oil rigs, and whatnot. But for the most part, Southern California surfers either head north (to Los Angeles) or south (to Orange County) for waves.
That wasn’t always the case, however. Long Beach was once home to an historically epic wave, even the “best wave in Southern California” as some call it. See below…