I get asked about Killer Dana all the time. Mostly, about what made it so “killer,” or just about what it was like there before the harbor.
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For those of you who are newer to the area or don’t know the history behind this legendary surf spot, let me fill you in on some background information.
Dana Point was one of the premiere surf spots on the California coast back when I was a kid. There were actually a number of surf spots in Dana Point at that time.
There was the point itself, which is the Killer Dana surf spot. The Cove, which was just to the south of the pier and offered up big fat mushy walls that weren’t the greatest for surfing, but were loved by people who surfed catamarans. There was Charleys Cove, a little known local spot, kinda rocky.
MePees was one of my favorites, tide-sensitive and rocky. Then, going north to south, there was, and still is, the Doheny State Park spots: Indicator, Second Spot and the main break, which was just called Doheny.
In 1966, they began construction on the Dana Point Harbor and, in the process, destroyed all of the spots from the Point through to MePees. Doheny State Park remained untouched, although the jetty and harbor entrance cut down some of the swell, so the waves are a bit smaller than they used to be — unless it is an extremely southerly swell.
OK, that’s the background. For a few years, just before they started the harbor, I lived just above the cove in a little house about a block back from the lookout gazebo. I liked surfing the point, and even more, the parking lot down there was a super romantic spot to go “park” with a date.
One of the very cool things about all of the spots in Dana Point was that with the normal afternoon westerly winds, which ruined the surf everywhere else in the area, it came across the point and blew “offshore.” This made the waves better and also beautiful to look at, with all the spray coming off the tops.
So, why did they call it Killer Dana? The point is very rocky, and there was very little beach at all. If you fell off and lost your board, there was a solid chance that it was going to hit the rocks. And they were big rocks, very capable of doing serious damage to surfboards.
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There were no surf leashes —cords that attach the board to your ankle — back then.
But most of the time, the waves themselves were gentle and mushy. Unless it was big. Dana broke on a south swell. If there was a big one, that was the time many of the top surfers in the area would show up and take it the break.
Phil Edwards made a name for himself on big days there in the 1950s. The takeoff was very steep and over very shallow rocks. There were boils in the water, due to those shallow rocks, that made it even harder to make the drop. That was the place you did NOT want to fall off. That part had a lot to do with putting the “killer” in Killer Dana.
When they were starting work on the harbor, there was a big difference of opinion amongst the local residents. The surfers, obviously, were not happy about it. But the average homeowner was thrilled because their property values were skyrocketing.
There was one main local breakfast spot in those days, Mac’s Coffee Break. It was where the Harbor House is now. There was more than one disagreeing exchange during the morning coffee hour at Mac’s. I think I was in on a couple of those myself.
If you want to know more about this, there is a new documentary just being released called “Point Taken.” It’s a great history of the whole story of, well, the point being taken.
There was just recently a screening at the Killer Dana Surf Shop that I wish I could have attended. For one, I haven’t seen the finished movie yet. And, they have a fantastic ice cream counter there. I do like ice cream.
For information on where and when there will be more showings, check out charthousefilms.com.
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