The Point occupies about 1.6 miles of coastline that faces south-southwest toward the Pacific Ocean; North 36 degrees 57 minutes 38.54 seconds, West 121 degrees 57 minutes 50.58 seconds, it’s the east side of Santa Cruz, California. Along the Point are several lineups, each with it’s own community of water-goers, much like a string of tightly packed villages following the contour of a life-giving river. There is Rock View, Sewer Peak, First Peak, Second Peak, 38^th, The Hook, Privates, Trees, and Toes Over. Interspersed and overlaying these line-ups are sub line-ups, with intricate inside bowls, outside boils, shifts, and sand bars. Like villages, a distinct group or clan occupies each line-up. There is movement between line-ups, but not as much as one would imagine. The Point picks up big north groundswell, big to small northwest and west groundswell, big south groundswell from 180 and up, big to small south groundswell from 185 and up, and windswell from the north, northwest, and west. Wind is usually not a problem unless it is due south or east. The south comes in with storms and the east wind blows in the evenings as the fog swirls in. The beaches are pinched in between the cliffs and the tide line. Sometimes, during high tide, there is no beach. The bluffs consist of alluvial deposits approximately 30 feet thick – sand, clay, silt, and cobbles – that ride on top of sandstone bedrock – the Purisima Formation. Kelp is found from near the mean tide line to about 200 yards offshore, and the reef is lined with a variety of sea grasses and algae. All manner of fish and sea mammals reside in the near-shore waters and whales can be spied just off the kelp beds. White Seabass to White Sharks – Sea Otters to Sea Lions. And the birds. This is where each day starts.