As one of the few harbors along the Orange County coast, and
with ready access via California State Route 1, Dana Point is a popular local
destination for surfing and is home to a legendary surf break called Killer
Dana. The city was named after the headland of Dana Point, which was in turn
named for Richard Henry Dana, Jr., author of Two Years Before the Mast, which
included a description of the area. Although Dana describes the anchorage as
poor, it is the best available in the vicinity, and is now a developed harbor
containing a museum replica of his ship, the Pilgrim which is actually
designated as a California Historical Landmark. One of the very few known
specimens of the megamouth shark was caught off Dana Point in 1990. |