# Malibu surf guide Surfrider Beach's First Point is the original perfect longboard right and the cradle of 1950s–60s surf culture. - **Location:** California, United States (34.0360, -118.6790) - **Best season:** May – Oct (May, June, July, August, September, October) - **Water:** 14–20°C (3/2 mm (warmest) to 4/3 mm (coldest)) - **Waves:** Point break, Reef break - **Suits:** Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced surfers - **Interactive map, stays and what's on:** https://swellcabin.com/town/malibu - **Feed (new YouTube surf videos and Instagram posts from Malibu):** https://swellcabin.com/town/malibu?feed ## Live surf cams - [Venice Beach breakwater](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBcHDAT_8H4) (Venice Beach): Venice Vive (YouTube), free ## Surf pools nearby - [DSRT Surf](https://www.dsrtsurf.com/), Palm Desert: 215 km away, Wavegarden Cove. 105 Wave Drive, Palm Desert, California. The largest Wavegarden Cove in North America; learn to surf up to pro barrels and airs. ## Surf clips - [Historic Swell at Malibu First Point](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBzNZT4FrMA) (Meek Surf on YouTube): Malibu - First Point - [POV SURFING MINUTE LONG WAVES AT FIRST POINT MALIBU RAW CLIPS ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAOUyDCKlTI) (sean woods on YouTube): Malibu - First Point - [Malibu, First Point - September 16th, 2018 - 4K](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5xFG5sigoo) (Brian Behrens on YouTube): Malibu - First Point ## Surf spots - **Malibu - First Point**: Point break, right-hander, all levels, faces SE (offshore wind from the NW), best at low to mid tide. Suits all levels. (34.0322, -118.6779) - **Topanga State Beach**: Point break, right-hander, advanced surfers, faces S (offshore wind from the N), best at low to mid tide (34.0368, -118.5829) - **Sunset Blvd**: Point break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces S (offshore wind from the N), best at mid tide. Suits all levels. (34.0377, -118.5530) - **Point Dume**: Point break, right-hander, advanced surfers, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at all tides (34.0049, -118.8131) - **Zuma Beach County Park**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid tide. Suits all levels. (34.0219, -118.8349) - **Bay Street**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at all tides. Suits all levels. (34.0043, -118.4931) - **Venice Beach**: Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid to high tide (33.9851, -118.4769) - **Staircase Beach**: Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces SSW (offshore wind from the NNE) (34.0456, -118.9479) ## What's on Malibu has little nightlife: evenings are sunset dinners at beachfront restaurants and a few bars, and the Malibu Country Mart is the social hub. No current fixed weekly nights or upcoming events could be confirmed; Santa Monica and Venice are 30 minutes away. _Updated 2026-11-06._ ## Where to stay 95 places to stay within 16 km. Surf camps: Malibu Surf Shack, Perfect Day Surf Camp. ## FAQ ### When is the best time to surf in Malibu? The best surf season in Malibu is May – Oct (May, June, July, August, September, October). The sea ranges from 14°C to 20°C over the year. ### Which months have the most good surf days in Malibu? Measured over the last three years (2023-11-01 to 2026-10-31), the waves at Malibu's best spot were good or better most often in October (94% of days, 40% great), July (88% of days, 30% great) and November (88% of days, 30% great), and least often in April (74%). From each day's swell and wind (Open-Meteo), rated like Swell Cabin's forecast. ### Do I need a wetsuit in Malibu? Water temperature in Malibu is 14–20°C: 3/2 mm (warmest) to 4/3 mm (coldest). ### Is Malibu good for beginner surfers? Yes. Malibu suits beginner, intermediate and advanced surfers; spots that work for beginners or all levels include Malibu - First Point, Sunset Blvd, Zuma Beach County Park and Bay Street. ### What are the surf spots in Malibu? Malibu has 8 surf spots on Swell Cabin: Malibu - First Point (Point break, right-hander, all levels, faces SE (offshore wind from the NW), best at low to mid tide); Topanga State Beach (Point break, right-hander, advanced surfers, faces S (offshore wind from the N), best at low to mid tide); Sunset Blvd (Point break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces S (offshore wind from the N), best at mid tide); Point Dume (Point break, right-hander, advanced surfers, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at all tides); Zuma Beach County Park (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid tide); Bay Street (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at all tides); Venice Beach (Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces SW (offshore wind from the NE), best at mid to high tide); Staircase Beach (Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces SSW (offshore wind from the NNE)). ### Where should surfers stay in Malibu? Swell Cabin lists 95 places to stay within 16 km of Malibu, including 2 surf camps such as Malibu Surf Shack and Perfect Day Surf Camp, 25 guesthouses and homestays, 6 rentals and villas. Each one shows its distance to the nearest surf spot. ### What is the nightlife like in Malibu? Malibu has little nightlife: evenings are sunset dinners at beachfront restaurants and a few bars, and the Malibu Country Mart is the social hub. No current fixed weekly nights or upcoming events could be confirmed; Santa Monica and Venice are 30 minutes away. ### What is the surf forecast for Malibu this week? Swell Cabin shows a live 7-day surf forecast for Malibu and each of its 8 surf spots on https://swellcabin.com/town/malibu: each spot rated hour by hour (Flat, Poor, Fair, Good, Great or Epic) from the way its coast faces, the swell, its period, the wind and the tide, with the best time each day and why, the size in surfers' words (e.g. "chest to head high, clean"), tides, and how sure the forecast is (three wave models compared). It is checked live against the nearest buoy and airport wind reports where there are any, and refreshed every few hours (waves from Open-Meteo, wind from MET Norway). ### When is the best tide to surf in Malibu? It depends on the spot: shallow reefs usually want mid to high tide, most beach breaks work best around mid tide. Swell Cabin's forecast for Malibu weighs each spot's tide hour by hour and shows the best window each day with the high and low tide times, predicted from the Santa Monica tide gauge (17 km away). ### How accurate is the surf forecast for Malibu? Swell Cabin checks it against the Topanga Nearshore, CA buoy (9 km away, NOAA NDBC): over 1076 hours from 2026-09-21 to 2026-11-05 the forecast wave height was within 20% of the buoy 91% of the time after correcting the wave model, which ran 20% high there (53% before); the correction applies to the spots that face the same sea as the buoy. Last checked 2026-11-05. ### How reliable is Swell Cabin's information about Malibu? Trust in this page's data is low (44/100): the town has not been verified against sources in the last 12 months; 0 of 8 spots fully verified, 7 with a researched tide; season and water temperature checked against measured data; 5 open audit warnings. How we check: https://github.com/danielgalam/swellcabin/blob/main/docs/data-accuracy.md Last checked against sources on 2026-11-05. Every value comes from measured data (Open-Meteo, buoys), open databases (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata) or a published page we opened, never from visitor reports; a daily audit compares them and a weekly evaluation measures the error rate (https://github.com/danielgalam/swellcabin/blob/main/docs/data-quality.md). ### Is there a live surf cam in Malibu? Yes: Venice Beach breakwater (Venice Beach) on Venice Vive (YouTube) (free). Swell Cabin checks these cams regularly. ### Is there a surf pool (wave pool) near Malibu? Yes: DSRT Surf in Palm Desert (215 km away, Wavegarden Cove, https://www.dsrtsurf.com/). A wave pool works when the sea is flat and is a good place to learn or train; check its website for sessions and seasons. ### Where can I take surf lessons in Malibu? Surf schools in and around Malibu include Surfrider Beach State Park, Cali Surf School, Traveler Surf Club & Coastal Outpost, A Big Rock, Heaven On Earth - Stand Up Paddle & Surfing School and Amarillo Beach.