This world surfing reserve (first ever!) is fragile. Make sure you don't swim in the water within 72 hours after a rain storm. The homes in Malibu use aging septic tanks that leach poo and the like into the water table. A storm saturates the ground leaching septic tank goo and storm runoff into this beach. Even on dry days, check online for the water rating.A General Beach Water Quality overview by NRDC: http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/200beaches.aspDO enjoy the surf, but beginners, take lessons elsewhere, this is an advanced surf spot.DO wear/buy good sunglasses with UV protection.DO bring water in a re-usable water bottle. You'll look like a respectable local.DO reduce, re-use, recycle food and drink containers you bring to the beach.DO put money in the meter! (parking lot - free street parking)DO watch the surfers. These folks are amazing athletes and put on a great show.DO use the public restroom when you have to go. (not the ocean)DO stay on the trails in the marsh.DO check the tides, there are some great tide pools at low tide.DON'T COLLECT SHELLS. These are part of the beach and become sand eventually.DON'T be a kook.DON'T trash the beach.http://surfriderwlam.org/http://www.msasurfing.org/
This is the classic "Gidget" surfer movie spot in Malibu. Easy break and a "preserved" surf spot. This is a "surf-only" location so leave the boogie boards at home. There is normally a mix of locals and folks visiting from around the world. Probably the most consistent working wave in Malibu with showers and bathrooms. There are hotels and places to eat located within walking distance. There is paid parking at the beach, however, it fills up fast, but not as fast as the free parking on the PCH.
Although we are beyond the surfer age, it is still enjoyable to watch the young people tackle the waves at these three points. I marvel at how they are able to judge just when to accelerate through the wave and when to let one go by. Some of the more skilled surfers really milk the last gasp of the wave. Then, turn around and either dive under the incoming waves or ride over them.Looks exhausting to me as I sit on the beach with a glass of wine and watch in awe. There are so many beaches in Malibu that are accessible to families I don't begrudge one place where surfers rule.
This is definitely the beach in Malibu to visit if you want to watch surfers! I'm not sure how they figure out who will get up and ride the next wave, unless it's just a matter of who moves first. Sometimes it appeared that they were going to hit each other when several were riding the same wave. Entertaining to watch. You can park on the side of Pacific Coast Highway instead of paying to park in a lot. If you're lucky enough to find an open spot!
I'm no expert on surfing, I even can't swim. But views and atmosphere here really is a good pep talk for people like me. Maybe I should learn to surf here, right wind and weather.
I've always wanted to surf so I made a point to check this out. The beach was cool and I liked that the swimming and surfing areas were separated by signs. What I didn't know is that the place that you rent your board from "surf shack" is a ways down the road, more by the pier. So after paying for parking I found out from the lifeguard I had to walk back down the road. And the surf shack let's you park at their place for free if renting a board so I wasted 6 bucks, no biggie. So after renting a board (the surf store workers were very nice) I had to walk it back which kind of stinks when the board is 11ft. I guess I was disappointed to find that the bottom of the shore was all rocks, and the waves were weak, so it was very hard to surf. I got up a couple times but that was it. Really thought since it was called "surf beach" the waves would've been bigger. But overall had fun. My girlfriend liked it a lot also. And they do have bathrooms but they are barely average.
This is a relatively small beach but I had a couple of nice conversations with some of the locals. They gave me some advice regarding moving out to California which was very nice of them. The beach itself was beautiful has a much different feel about it than say Zuma. It seemed a bit more crowded but I guess that's because it's better for surfing.
Loved surfing here. Even though there was a no swell the little waves were still fun ride. Get there early if you want the free parking on the street as it was full by 6am! Plenty of places to eat my favorite being Gladstones at Sunset with a drink in hand! lol literally its where Sunset ends at the ocean.
Nice beach, clean, and with working restroom facilities. What's not so hot is that there are some homeless men sleeping there sometimes. It's not that anyone bothered me, it's that it's mind-boggling that in a community as rich as Malibu, people have to resort to sleeping on the beach.
We came here just to surf, so I can understand why other people may be put off by the area. It was a little crowded, but we still had a good time in the water. It is a clean beach with good restrooms, and I would go back again.