Bob is correct, I left out some important info. The pay parking area is nice, because it puts you right on the beach. It can be a pain to park on summer days. I have the state parking pass, which is cheaper if you are at the beach alot. The waves can be huge and change based on the tide. I have flipped a couple of times at Cardiff, which sucks with all the people watching you
. It is still a nice location to fish in North County.