Top Surfing Beaches in Malibu, California
Located in the city of Malibu, Malibu Pier is a historic landmark that was built in 1905. This Southern California icon is known for its rough-hewn planks and iconic dual white towers – Beachcomber Café (famous for its B-52 cocktail) and Malibu Pier Club. Malibu Pier has been the setting for many famed movies and television series, most notably The Rockford Files, Gidget, and Beach Blanket Bingo. It is strategically located just five-minutes away from Carbon Beach, La Costa Beach, and Las Flores Beach. Adjacent to Malibu Pier, there is a three-point break on Surfrider Beach offering rides of over 300 yards. There are plans to open a surf museum on the pier displaying vintage surf memorabilia and the history of the surf culture in Malibu, portrayed in artful exhibits.
Located in the city of Malibu, Leo Carrillo State Beach is a wide and one-and-a-half-mile long beach that is part of the Leo Carrillo State Park. Leo Carrillo State Park is named after Leo Carrillo, an actor and preservationist, who served on the California Beach and Parks Commission for 18 years - and is 2,513 acres in size. Many prominent actors including Elvis Presley, Jerry Lewis, Nancy Sinatra, and Dick Clark have been featured in films shot at this park. Leo Carrillo State Beach is sometimes referred to as one beach – but it is commonly viewed as three separate beaches each with its access point: Leo Carrillo - North Beach, Leo Carrillo - South Beach, and Leo Carrillo - Staircase Beach. Sequit Point is a rocky area between Leo Carrillo - North Beach and Leo Carrillo - South Beach where you can see tide pools and sea caves during low tides.
County Line State Beach is one of four separate beaches that comprise Leo Carrillo State Park.
Located in the city of Malibu, Pirate’s Cove Beach is a small and excellent beach on the west side of Point Dume. The beach was the shooting spot for the final scene of the classic 1968 movie Planet of the Apes. Pirate’s Cove Beach has a few fun activities including swimming, hiking, and photography. Getting close to the beach is very easy – after you get off of Pacific Coast Highway, drive down on Westward Beach Road to the last paid parking lot on Westward Beach. However, once you arrive access to Pirate’s Cove Beach is difficult and if you’re walking is only possible during low tide. You will start at the southern end of Westward Beach where a high rock wall with large boulders stands and then need to go around the many large and small rocks that surround the water along the base of Point Dume. We don’t recommend it, but during deep waters and high tides, visitors can hike up and climb over a rugged path behind the boulders to reach Pirate’s Cove Beach.
Located on the western part of Malibu, Little Dume Beach is a small beige sand beach that is tucked between Point Dume State Beach and Paradise Cove Beach, and positioned below a bluff on the eastern side ofa large and iconic promontory called Point Dume. Little Dume Beach is part of the Point Dume Nature Preserve and has a beautiful background of headlands, cliffs, rocky coves, and many opulent villas, which together provide Instagram-worthy views of the Santa Monica Mountains, Catalina Island, and the vast Pacific Ocean, especially at sunset. As describe in more detail below, getting to Little Dume is extremely difficult unless you’re a local resident because you can only access the beach through a locked gate.
Located on the east side of Latigo Shore Drive (which is also known as Seagull Drive) in the city of Malibu, Latigo Beach is an excellent beach for surfers and families. This beach is very calm and has lots of sand as most of the wind coming from the coast is blocked by Latigo Shore Drive. It is relatively quiet and less crowded in comparison to other nearby beaches – the locals have hired a security guard to make sure unauthorized people do not park on Latigo Shore Drive.
Located in the city of Malibu, Malibu Lagoon State Beach is situated at the point where Malibu Creek meets the Pacific Ocean forming Malibu Lagoon. Also known as Malibu Lagoon Beach, it is two miles long and is a five-minute walk from the famous Surfrider Beach. Malibu Lagoon Beach is a part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area, a California state park which was established as in 1951 and is 110 acres in size. This beach is a well-known surfing destination and a right-break point, but be careful of the high tides and rip currents.
Located on the west side of the city of Malibu, Nicholas Canyon County Beach is slightly less than a mile long and is one of the few point breaks left in the city. Nicholas Canyon County Beach is also known as "Point Zero" or "Zeros" due to the shape of the waves that break on the boulder-strewn point at the south of the beach where San Nicolas Canyon meets the shore. Nicholas Canyon County Beach is owned by Los Angeles County – and is situated next to Wishtoyo Chumash Village, north of El Sol County Beach, and about a mile south of Leo Carrillo State Park.
Located below oceanfront bluffs in Malibu, Point Dume State Beach – also called Point Dume Beach, Big Dume Beach, and Dume Cove Beach – is a crescent-shaped, extremely popular state-managed beach with light brown sand. Lonely Planet magazine listed it as one of the best beaches in Malibu, and Conde Nast Traveller magazine also listed it as one of the best beaches in Los Angeles. It is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach. The beach is open between sunrise and sunset.
Located in the city of Malibu, Surfrider Beach - also known as Malibu Surfrider Beach - is a mile long and is considered the place to go for the ideal Southern California surfing experience. The beach is part of the Malibu Lagoon State Beach, which is spread over 110 acres and also includes the Malibu Lagoon and the Malibu Pier. Surfrider Beach is positioned on the western side of the Malibu Lagoon, where Malibu Creek drains into the Pacific Ocean. The beach has a spectacular background of many oceanfront buildings, including hotels, restaurants, and a museum, which together provide Instagram-worthy views of the Santa Monica Mountains and the vast Pacific Ocean, especially at sunset.
Located in the scenic city of Malibu, Topanga Beach spans over a mile in length and covers 21.5 acres. Known for its popularity among surfers, it’s one of Malibu's most favored surfing destinations. Topanga Beach, or Topanga State Beach, is positioned on the eastern edge of the Pacific Palisades, near the renowned Mastro’s Ocean Club restaurant. The beach offers a consistent right break and a lagoon near Topanga Creek, ideal for surfing enthusiasts.
Zuma Beach—also known as Zuma County Beach—is a popular, scenic destination located in Malibu. With nearly two miles of white sand stretching across 105 acres, this southwest-facing beach is loved by locals and visitors alike.
This beach was listed as one of the best on the West Coast of the United States by Ventura County Star and as one of the cleanest beaches in Los Angeles by Los Angeles Times. It was also named one of the best beaches in Malibu by Lonely Planet, and is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert. This beach is open daily from sunrise to sunset.
