LA is chaotic and crowded and smoggy and mushy. Until it's not. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

"I decided to stick to my game plan, as usual, and just stayed at home," Simpo said. "The lower interval in the latter part of that swell really helped here, it got cleaner. And mixed with that south, it was really fun." Photo: Joe Foster

You'd be agog, too, after a few days of golden California beachbreak tubes. Jake Kelly. Photo: Seth DeRoulet

This is like a postcard of a painting of a fantasy that occasionally actually happens in Ventura. Photo: Paul Greene

Newport Beach, where Andrew Doheny lives, wasn't all-time during this run of swell. Hardly ever is this time of year. But being a savvy SoCal surfer, Droid headed south to San Diego and reaped the rewards of its north-facing exposures. Photo: Anthony Ghiglia

Most of southwest-facing Orange County doesn't really do too well on NW swells. This spot, however, seems to be doing just fine, thank you very much. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

"It was cool to be home and get good waves for a week straight," said Taylor Clark. "It must've been the only place around that was good, though, because it was super crowded and kinda eggy." Photo: Billy Watts; Video: Brandie Clark

LA County has about 70 miles of coastline, facing every which direction. Matt Pagan knows its nooks and crannies better than most. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

There are a few quirky SoCal beachbreaks that are best right after a big rain's had a chance to break open some sandbars. This is one such wave, and Pat Gudauskas knows how to make his own rainbows. Photo: Billy Watts

"Keep off"? Yeah, right. No freaking way. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

New Year's Eve saw a giant swell hit Jaws and Waimea Bay. New Year's Day saw the same swell roll through Maverick's. Brit Tom Lowe just had an inspired New Year's resolution: "I will not get caught inside at Maverick's." Photo: Rob Brown

A couple days after Christmas, Austin Ware, unwrapped his present -- a peaky, uncrowded pop-up beachbreak in North County. Photo: Billy Watts

By the time a ragged NW swell funnels down around the series of points north of Santa Cruz and into town, things start getting pretty clean and crisp. Shaun Burns, pretty crisp himself. Photo: Billy Watts

Most hollow waves throw out. Very few hollow waves throw up. Mav's, hung over on New Year's Day. Photo: Rob Brown

If you've got the time and the inclination, January is a good time for a California road trip. Kolohe Andino spent a bunch of this series of swells driving up and down the coast in a reasonably low-pro surf van. He scored a bunch of places, one of which was La Jolla. Photo: Jensen Young Sik

This may be unmakeable. One in a hundred. Too fast. But man, sure is enough to jump a couple fences to find out. Photo: Paul Fisher

Nat Young had a WCT qualification party at a warehouse on the West Side that saw everyone in Santa Cruz show up. A couple days later, he started training for small Snapper Rocks. "It's been really good," he said. "Sandbars all over." Sequence: Ryan Craig

Kanoa Igarashi is to the point where he can do these things with his eyes closed. Photo: Joe Foster

That's Josh Mulcoy all wrapped up in a familiar place. Photo: Matt Kurvin

Two words: back knee. Matt Mohagen stylishly tucks into an LA County drainer. Photo: Brad Jacobson

Orange County mayn't have been the best spot on the coast for this run of surf, but it sure was clean. Alex Knost. Photo: Mike Moir

This is an optical illusion, brought on by the presence of a week of offshore wind and medium-period groundswell. Photo: Ryan Craig

Who says you can't make skateparks in the ocean? Rodger Eales eyes the berm. Photo: Michael Andrew Anable

Not many surfers manage to pilot noses that wide into barrels like that. Tyler Warren is one such surfer. Photo: Shawn Parkin

"A very favorable pattern for West Coast surf developed at the end of December and continued into early January as a complex low pressure system took shape throughout much of the Pacific," says Surfline's Pacific Forecast Chief Kevin Wallis.

No roadmaps to this one. Just "up north." Photo: Mark McInnis

We've been trying to locate that house on VRBO, 'cause we want to have our next company team-building meeting there, but we can't seem to find it. Photo: Shawn Parkin

Man, wetsuits are good these days. Chase Wilson enjoys the comforts of modern rubber. Photo: Thomas Green

Santa Cruz County has a surfable wave, somewhere, 362 days a year. In wintertime, the volume and variety of surf can be overwhelming. Austin Smith Ford trying to get away from it all. Photo: Ryan Craig

This is the time of year for family, friends, and surfing till it's almost completely pitch-black dark. Ventura County. Photo: Johnny Gonzales

Kyle Thierman is on a mission. He started an organization called Surfing For Change, which aims to document each of his surf/philanthropic trips to various places in the world. Here he is at home in Santa Cruz. Photo: Billy Watts

Why does the surf always seem to get better in the evenings in the wintertime? Nic Hdez, happy hour. Photo: Ryan Craig

'Course offshore dawn patrols in winter can be pretty damn good, too. Oceanside, colder than it looks. Photo: Jeremiah Klein

"It's been fun, consistent waves," said OC stalwart Nate Yeomans. "From peaky windswells to long interval swells, a wide variety of spots and waves have been good. Really cold, though." Photo: Anthony Ghiglia

"I flew out to Santa Cruz because Nat [Young] kept calling me everyday telling me how good the waves had been so I had no choice but to come," said Michael Dunphy. "I always try to find an excuse go to Santa Cruz because I love the place and people and Nat and Rosie make me feel like it's my second home". Photo: Ryan Craig

"Dude, there's totally a channel right there, in between those two peaks. You could drive a car through that thing." Photo: Ryan Craig