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    You are here: Home / Surf / Surfing in Los Angeles

    Surfing in Los Angeles

    Aug 17, 2020 · 4 Comments

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    A description of the epic & iconic surf spots in Los Angeles!

    Surfing in Los Angeles 

    75 miles of coastline.
    Mostly beach break scattered with a handful of right point breaks. 
    Very sensitive to swell direction and winds.
    Watch winds! Typical for spots to get blown out by 10am-ish. Check winds before you go!
    Rule of Thumb: NW facing spots are best in the winter, S facing spots best in summer.  
    The most populous stretch of coast in the state – will be reflected by crowd factor in water. 
    BEWARE of black balled beaches. No surfing allowed in the ocean when it’s black balled Fall-summer in densely packed spots by the late morning. 
    Island blockage - offshore islands decrease swell energy Catalina blocks south swell while Santa Cruz blocks some north.
    Weather is epic in LA year round. Surf is much more fickle… usually ya can find a bump to shred!

    a surfer assessing the line up at El Porto, some surfers are in the ocean.
    a surfer scoping out the surf at El Porto

    LA’s local surf spots!

    Torrance/Palos Verdes

    Southern end of LA’s South Bay, 1.5 mile stretch of NW facing beach break best for wintertime swells. Fairly consistent; get hollow with outgoing tide; bad rip currents. Localism is strong. Not kook friendly. Know what you’re doing before ya paddle out.  

    Palos Verdes/Bluff Cove

    Fairly exposed reef break with reliable surf; best conditions are a west swells with offshore winds from the SE.  The break in the middle of the cove is a long, slow, rolling long board friendly wave; both lefts and rights. On the south end of the cove is boneyards, a juicy left shortboarding breaks that gets hollow over a shallow reef; works from mid-tide up, shortboard friendly.  

    Lunada Bay

    Locals only right-hand point break. Conditions have to be just right for this spot to be on but when it is, it’s world class (1 of 2 world class waves in LA). Localism here is legendary. 2300 block of Paseo del Mar.

    Haggertys at Malaga Cove

    Northernmost and sandiest beach in the city of Palos Verdes Estates. Rocky point break that shoots out hard lefts, especially in fall and winter. Breaks differently from most Southern California waves because it likes a west and especially a northwest swell. 

    Ideal PV Cove Spot Conditions

    Swell Direction: WSW, W
    Wind: E, SW
    Surf Height: 4-8 ft
    Tide: Medium to High
    PV Cove Surf Report & Forecast

    Redondo Beach 

    Fairly exposed beach break with both left and right hand waves, consistent surf. Tends to be best in the spring. 

    Ideal Redondo Beach Conditions 

    Swell Direction: WSW, W, WNW
    Wind: S, SE, E
    Surf Height: 4-15 ft tall
    Tide: medium-higher tide (often closes out at low tide)
    Redondo Beach Surf Report & Forecast

    Redondo Breakwater: 

    A fast, powerful, hollow left point break that’s heavily localized.  Lots of moving water, strong currents and sand bottom. Wave ends in severe shore pound. Can handle size – one of the few big-wave spots in town. 

    Ideal Spot Redondo Breakwater Conditions (from Surfline):

    Swell Direction: WSW, W, WNW (mid-long periods best from 13sec+)
    Wind: E, SE, ENE
    Surf Height: 6 to 20 ft
    Tide: low
    Redondo Breakwater Surf Report & Forecast

    Hermosa Beach 

    2 miles of sand shoreline and exposed beach breaks with left and right handers best for fall and winter.  
    Best bet is low-medium tides, early morning offshores, dual swells and hope for sandbars. Doesn’t handle big swells – will close out much above head high. 

    Ideal Hermosa Conditions (from Surfline):

    Swell Direction: anything peaky (crossed up combo swells)
    Wind: E, SE
    Surf Height: 2-10 ft
    Tide: low to medium 
    Hermosa Beach Surf Report & Forecast

    El Porto – Manhattan Beach

    45th St & The Strand.
    Most powerful and consistent beach break in LA. 2 miles of scattered peaks, with left and right handers, long and shortboarder friendly, sandy bottom. Gets waves year-round but best swells arrive in winter, can hold up to double-overhead waves. 
    In the winter, El Porto is consistently 1-2 ft bigger than any other spot in town and considered LA winter swell magnet spot. But the SW swells of the summer get blocked by Palos Verdes Peninsula and the southern Channel Islands, often completely missing over this spot. 
    Weekends, especially in the summer, get ultra-crowded and part of beach gets blackballed. 
    Best place to park is in the metered parking lot on 45th Street just west of Highland Avenue. 

    Ideal El Porto Conditions (from Surfline):

    Swell Direction: SW, WSW, W, WNW combo swells
    Wind: E, SE
    Surf Height: 2-10 ft
    Tide: Medium 
    El Porto Surf Report & Forecast

    El Porto - Manhattan Beach - you can see the surfers, waves, sand, and sunbathers.
    the sand & surf at El Porto
    • the smoke stacks at El Porto - Manhattan beach, you can see the ocean, waves and sand.
      smoke stacks at El Porto
    • surfers in the ocean at the waves in El Porto - Manhattan Beach.
      El Porto Surf

    Venice Beach

    3100 to 2700 Ocean Front Walk.

    Fickle beach break with left and right handers, sand bottom.

    Venice Breakwater

    Main surf spot in Venice. With the right conditions, usually in the winter, it can be a long, fast and rippable right. Maxes out when the swell gets too big. Local spot. Can get blackballed in the summer.

    Ideal Venice Beach Spot Conditions (from Surfline):

    Swell Direction: SSW, SW, WSW, W
    Wind: E
    Surf Height: wait to head high; doesn’t handle much over 8 ft
    Tide: Medium coming up. 
    Venice Beach Surf Report & Forecast

    Santa Monica - SM Pier, Bay Street & Ocean Park

    Beach breaks- mellow, mushy sandbar peaks that break left and right. Never gets too big and very beginner friendly.  

    Ideal Santa Monica Conditions (from Surfline):

    Swell Direction: Combo of W, NW, and SW
    Wind: East
    Surf Height: Waist high to a foot overhead 
    Santa Monica Surf Report & Forecast

    Sunset Beach 

    Right point break that best on southern swells. It’ the northernmost beach in Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades. Waves are long, slow, easy right hand rollers that break in a few different spots. Parking for Sunset Beach is available along the shoulder of PCH north and south of Gladstone’s. Beginner friendly. 
    I vote it as the least crowded point break in LA. Likely due the few pebbles you have to walk down to get to the water, which I’ve heard folks refer to as cliffs. 

    Ideal Sunset Beach Conditions (from Surfline):

    Swell Direction: SW, WSW
    Wind: N
    Surf Height: 3-6 ft
    Tide: Medium tide
    Sunset Beach Surf Report & Forecast

    Topanga Beach

    18700 Pacific Coast Highway
    Long, fun, consistent right point break at the base of Topanga Canyon, the closest Malibu beach to LA. Can handle up to double-overhead. Strong local crew on the point. Sit on the inside if you’re a beginner/kook – it’s more mellow just don’t drop in on anyone going down the line #etiquette. Long and short board friendly. 
    Super fun wave that’s less perfect than Malibu and also much less crowded. 
    Parking in the main paid parking lot on the beach or in the few spots along the highway for free.

    Ideal Topanga Beach Conditions (from Surfline):

    Swell Direction: SSW, SW, WSW, W
    Wind: light easterlies 
    Surf Height: waist high to double overhead 
    Tide: Medium
    Topanga Beach Surf Report & Forecast

    Surfers in Los Angeles! The surf, waves and beach at Topanga beach.
    a surfer shredding at Topanga Beach
    • Surfers in Los Angeles! Surfers at Topanga beach! Can see some surfers sharing a waves and the sandy beach.
      party waves at Topanga Beach
    • Surfers in LA! Topanga beach - the waves with surfers and them and some sunbathers.
      Topanga Beach line-up

    Malibu - Surfrider Beach

    23050 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu

    The most perfect right hander in all of California! Which also makes it the most crowded point break in Cali! It’s of the most famous waves in the word and the most iconic beach in LA. 
    3 separate take-off zones: first point, second point and third point.
    First Point: long right point break that’s the most consistent and most surfed of the Malibu waves. Perfect shape that works the full tidal range – like a wave machine. Gets hollower as the tide drops.
    Second Point: much shorter ride than first though faster. Can get hollow. 
    Third Point: Furthest out shortboard spot that’s fast, hollow and dominated by locals. 
    Full on beach facilities, a small pay parking lot, and free parking along PCH.

    Ideal Malibu Conditions (from Surfline):

    Swell Direction: S, SW, WSW
    Wind: northwesterlies are side offshore 
    Surf Height: wait high to double overhead 
    Tide: Medium 
    Malibu Beach Surf Report & Forecast

    Malibu - Surfrider beach. All the longboards leaning up against the wall.
    Malibu on any given day of the week
    Surfers in Los Angeles! Many surfers sharing a waves at first point in Malibu Beach.
    Malibu first peak party wave!
    • Malibu Pear as seen at Surfrider beach in Malibu.
      Malibu Pier as seen from Surfrider Beach
    • Surfers in Los Angeles! Lots of surfers sharing a wave at surfrider beach in Malibu.
      First Point at Surfrider Beach
    • Malibu - surfrider beach - colorful longboards leaning up against the wall.
      all the longboards

    Zuma Beach

    3000 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu

    2 miles of sandy thumping beach break. There’s sandbar peaks for all levels and boards. Beginner waves are at the North end of beach, more advanced waves to the South. Southern most end of Zuma is a stretch called Westward or Drainpipes, ones of the heaviest beach breaks in SoCal.  
    Gets hollow and barrels on a solid summer S swell. Can hold up to 1-2 ft overhead. 
    South/southwest swells of the summer create lots of punch lefthanders up and down the beach in the summer and north swells in the winter mostly rights, if it’s not closing out. 
    Beach is typically blown out by 10-11am in the summer months (unless winds are offshore) and by the afternoons pretty much year round. Most of the beach get blackballed in the summer. 
    If yaw anna score Zuma, come early on a medium tide. 
    A huge pay-parking lot borders the entire three-mile-plus stretch of beach. 

    Ideal Zuma Beach Conditions (from Surfline)

    Swell Direction: S, SW, W
    Wind: E
    Surf Height: waist high to double overhead and beyond  
    Tide: Medium 
    Zuma Beach Surf Report & Forecast

    Surfers in LA! Shot of Zuma beach - surfers in the ocean and the stretch of coast.
    sand and waves at Zuma Beach
    Surfers in Los Angeles! The surfers at Zuma Beach - can see the ocean and sand.
    typical summer weekday at Zuma Beach
    There’s secret peaks scattered on the coast. You’ll have to find those on your own. I’m a surfer too and only spilling the beans on the known spots #surfcode. More coming soon!
    Most important to remember when in the water:
    1. Etiquette
    2. The best surfer is the one having the most fun.

    Stoked on Surfing in California?! Me too! Check us this post on Surfing in Santa Cruz!

    Have ya enjoyed this post? I’d love to hear about it! Please leave a comment below and if you're shredding in Los Angeles a pic and tag it on Instagram with #DanielaGerson. I'd be so stoked to see it! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!

    Hope to see ya in the water sometime and lets make waves in the kitchen and water!

    « Berry Galette
    Peach Salad with Burrata and Crispy Prosciutto »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Greg Webster says

      August 28, 2020 at 8:12 am

      I was looking at the recipes, and saw this article. I was sure it was going to be some kook's version of surfing LA, but I was wrong. Well written article!

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        August 28, 2020 at 9:57 am

        Hehehe thank ya Greg! Moved to LA this past fall and when I tried learning about the surf down here found that most article focused more on the cafes and boutiques near the waves instead of the waves themselves. Tried to make it actually useful for surfers. Now it's a bit rando to include surfing into my food blog but I'm trying to live my dream... and surf is a damn big part of that dream :)! Hope you've been scoring!

        Reply
    2. surf report nz says

      November 27, 2020 at 2:36 am

      Thank you very much for presenting this data about surfing in los angeles, it’s known how to get approved but what are the next steps after getting the approval. Wonderful information, thanks a lot for sharing kind of content with us, great post!They offer same information here Aotearoasurf.co.nz one must check them also.

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        December 20, 2020 at 8:06 pm

        Hehehe thank ya + pleasure! Would love to go on an epic surf adventure in New Zealand sometime too!!! Hope you've been scoring lots lately!

        Reply

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    VEGGIES ARE SEXY 

    Hi, I'm Daniela - a Los Angeles based food photographer and creative director. I began my career as a chef with a passion for sourcing colorful produce from local markets. I love emphasizing the beauty of real food with my images. I’m also a food stylist and recipe developer with a gorgeous prop-filled studio in Venice, California.

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