Been a FL surfer all my life and fortunately was raised in Daytona Beach/New Smyrna Beach Inlet area. Outside of that, really haven't surfed much West Coast. I did surf Huntington Pier and found it no better than a mediocre day surfing Central and North Florida. I actually think Sunglow Pier in Port Orange, FL is a better ride than I got the week in California, it sure isn't as crowded. Huntington was small anyway that week, so the comparison was based upon that.
Sunglow Pier Surf Camera, Surf Travel Info and Photos - Surfline
On the right day, Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna (NSB) have the best surf for me. A hurricane's pre storm and aftermatch can bring double overhead washing machine action, but a West wind can clean it up and provide a couple of days worth of the most ideal surf you could ask for.
Ideally, chest to just overhead is perfect. You aren't risking drowning in undertows or simply being grinded/punded into the sand bar (or reef, if you surf those type of breaks).
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/54/144455160_4cbcd2f1b1.jpg
http://www.easternsurf.com/photos/nsb_gorkinseq_jimbo.jpg
New Smyrna Beach Surf Camera, Surf Travel Info and Photos - Surfline
Here's my favorite spot, right next to the Ponce Inlet Jetty. You can virtually walk out and catch chest/head high surf and ride for a few hundred yards:
Ponce Inlet Surf Travel Info and Photos - Surfline
Ponce Inlet gets a rebound effect off the Jetty, ground swellcomes intowards the jetty from the Northeast and the jetty channels it back northward and it's a faster longer "right" ride/wave. Water isn't Carribean clear, nor Pacific Island clear, but still clean water.
Having been a local, there are a few of us that pretty much share the rides by the jetty rocks. NSB is a free for all, better be good to get waves there, everyone from Orlando, FL drives over and when the surf is only 1 to an occasional 3 footer on the face, it's even harder. But one of those pics shows that you can get air if you know what you're doing.
This place is the northsdie of St Augustine, FL (Vilano Beach)
Vilano Surf Travel Info and Photos - Surfline
Back to NSB though, not only can the surf be challengingly small, it's has plenty of other challenges:
He's behind you! The moment a 6ft shark leapt from the water just yards from surfers | Mail Online
I once saw a young surfer get attacked and bitten as we were riding the same wave one summer day. It popped thru the wave and basically bit him from his thigh to shin on his trailing leg. It happened so quickly, I recall passing by him, because he cut me off on a pretty clean waist high long peeler of a wave, looking back and seeing the shark still biting him. The surfer basically threw a flurry of punches as he was standing on the sandbar in around knee deep water. The shark let go and swam off into deep water. But after that ordeal, we both went to shore and that kid beat me to shore, understandably so. He was ok once on shore, injuries were more puncture wounds from the teeth, nothing requiring stitches from what I saw, so the shark never really took flesh.
