On your average day during the year, Blackies in Newport Beach is a longboarder's haven. The waves are usually 1 to 3 feet high, the atmosphere in the water relaxed, and the old guys are chatty. It's the sort of place to which you bring a beginner to learn. There's a parking lot, which makes it accessible, and a row of shops, ideal for a morning breakfast burrito and coffee. That's the usual Blackies. But Blackies on a significant western swell? That's a completely different discussion, as Blackies transforms into one of the best waves in Orange County. The peaks are scattered, and lefts and rights are plentiful. When those classic days come, the "longboarder wave" criticisms cease. Shortboarders flock from Newport's upper streets and Huntington Beach. Because of the bend in the coastline, when Blackies is pumping, it usually means the rest of Newport doesn't have much to work with. It doesn't happen all that often, but on those rare days, aside from the usual crowd factor, Blackies is the place to be.