I enjoy both and find them to be different. Surf I'm often catching several little fish that are running close to the shore. On the pier you are often fishing along the bottom and have a chance to bring in bigger fish and a better variety. One more thing about surf fishing is you can move around a lot more and try different areas.

Oh and one more thing. The piers can get very crowded and you can always find a place along the beach that won't have people standing on top of you.