World surfing champion Courtney Conlogue has navigated the globe's gnarliest surf spots. Here are her Los Angeles picks, from party waves at Topanga Beach to sunsets at El Porto. California's laid-back surf scene is as synonymous with Los Angeles as the Hollywood Sign itself, but the origins of the sport actually date to ancient Polynesia, where cave paintings found on the islands from the 12th Century show human figures riding waves on proto surf boards.
However, surfing as it's known today was introduced to America in 1907, when a Hawaiian native named George Freeth held popular wave-riding demonstrations on Huntington Beach, just south of the city of Angels. In the decades since, the health benefits of spending time in blue spaces have repositioned surfing as a wellness trend in its own right. Nature-seeking fitness enthusiasts now flock to the competing surf schools that line the 20 beaches stretching along 25 miles of LA County's sun-loving coastline.
Lucky visitors are spoilt for choice but knowing exactly where to roll on your wetsuit and hang 10 can be a challenge if you're new to the area. We spoke to pro surfer Courtney Conlogue , ranked the second-best female surfer globally at the World Surf League Championships in 2015 and 2016, to help us find the best surfing beaches in LA County. "LA is a surfer's paradise," says Conlogue, who grew up in nearby Orange County and learned the fundamentals of surfing from her father when she was just four years old.
"The county h.
