Zuma Beach(Zuma County Beach)

Located in the city of Malibu, Zuma Beach – also called Zuma County Beach – is a large and extremely popular southwest-facing beach with white sand.  This beach is slightly less than two miles in length and it is 105 acres in size. 

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.  Zuma Beach is open daily between sunrise and sunset.

Zuma Beach has 14 lifeguard towers and lifeguards are deployed here during daylight hours.  In addition to lifeguards, this beach has many other amenities, including a playground, picnic tables, showers, seasonal concession stands, volleyball nets, and restrooms.   

Dogs are not allowed at Zuma Beach.

There are many things to do at Zuma Beach including sunbathing, swimming, fishing, beachcombing, surfing, kitesurfing, volleyball, parasailing, snorkeling, scuba diving, windsurfing, bodysurfing, boogie boarding, boating, jet-skiing, water-skiing, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching.

While the water here has slightly strong waves, the mild Zuma Beach water temperature and a gently sloping shoreline make it ideal for experienced swimmers.  This beach is popular with experienced surfers because the clear water offers fun surfing Zuma Beach waves – the summer season is the best time to surf here.  You can check the Zuma Beach surf report and the Zuma Beach live camera to check the surfing waves here.  

The northern part of this beach is popular with windsurfers and the best time for windsurfing here is during late afternoon.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, canoe, or surf here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  The marine area between the lifeguard towers 8 and 9 is particularly known to have turbulent water.

Zuma Beach has a disabled-friendly wheelchair mat for visitors with disabilities between April and October.  In addition, this beach also has beach wheelchairs for visitors with disabilities – you can contact the local authorities by phone at (310) 457-2525 for more information about the beach wheelchair.  The restrooms and showers here are also disabled-friendly.

Getting to Zuma Beach is very easy – this beach is located near 30000 Pacific Coast Highway and there are eight parking lots here that collectively have 2,000 parking spaces.  The parking lots here are open between 6 am to 10 pm and they charge $0.25 for ten minutes.  In addition to these parking lots, there are also multiple free street parking spaces along the highway near the beach.

We recommend visiting this beach early during weekends and summer afternoons because the beach can get crowded – the Pacific Coast Highway near the beach can also sometimes have traffic jams, making your visit to the beach slightly difficult.  

We recommend checking the Zuma Beach weather reports before visiting because the weather here can sometimes become stormy and rainy.

Zuma Beach has been featured in several films and television series, including the 1978 film Zuma Beach, Planet of the Apes, How I Met Your Mother, Baywatch, I Dream of Jeannie, and Barton Fink.  In addition, this beach has also been featured in many famous songs including "Zuma" by Neil Young, "Some Girls" by The Rolling Stones, "California" by U2 and "Why I Came to California" by Leon Ware.  In addition, this beach’s name – Zuma – is derived from a mis-spelling of the name of a nearby landmark called Point Dume.  Zuma Beach also hosts many fun events including multiple surfing events, volleyball tournaments, and an event named the Malibu Nautica Triathlon – this charity sports event features many fun activities and many Olympic athletes and Hollywood celebrities have participated in it.

There are many attractions near Zuma Beach within a 23-minute-drive.  Point Dume is a large and famous promontory – the area around it has a diverse coastal biodiversity and you can see many kinds of animals while visiting here.  The top of the promontory offers amazing views of the southern California shoreline, the Pacific Ocean, and the Catalina Islands and it is also a popular rock-climbing site.  Solstice Canyon is a part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area – you can explore this canyon’s interesting landscape through hiking trails, and it also offers many fun activities, including picnicking, biking, and wildlife watching.  In addition, this canyon also has many interesting things to explore including a waterfall and the ruins of two historic houses including the Roberts Ranch House and Keller House.  Leo Carrillo State Park is a state park that was named after eminent actor and conservationist Leo Carrillo and it has multiple beaches including South Beach, North Beach, Staircase Beach, and County Line Beach.  This state park offers many fun activities including tidepooling, fishing, scuba diving, surfing, hiking, wildlife watching, and camping – this park has been featured in many television series and movies including Better Call Saul, the TV show Orange County, and The Usual Suspects.  Malibu Pier is a beautiful historic pier that was built around 1905 and it offers amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and the southern California shoreline.  This pier is also popular with fishermen and many surfers also surf nearby – it also has restaurants and shopping stores.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Paramount Ranch is a part of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and this ranch was leased by Paramount Pictures in 1927 for shooting films – visitors can see remnants of the film sets used in the shooting of the television shows Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and Westworld.  In addition, this ranch also offers many other fun activities including biking, horse riding, picnicking, hiking, and wildlife watching.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Zuma Beach within a 20-minute-drive.  Sunset Restaurant serves excellent seafood and it also serves outstanding pastas, tacos, burgers, poultry dishes, fries, and salads.  Nobu Malibu is an upscale waterfront restaurant that was founded by eminent chef Nobu Matsuhisa – this restaurant offers a variety of delicious Japanese and locally-inspired fusion dishes.  Spruzzo’s Restaurant & Bar offers excellent dishes for lunch and dinner including pastas, chicken marsala, pizzas, steaks, burgers, sandwiches, calzones, and seafood – this restaurant also serves dishes with Asian and Mexican culinary influences.  Neptune’s Net is an immensely popular restaurant that is known for serving outstanding seafood baskets and it also serves delicious burgers, sandwiches, and its famous clam chowder – it has also been featured in many movies and television shows including The Fast and the Furious, Point Break, and Gossip Girl.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Sabor a Malibu is a food truck that serves excellent Mexican dishes including burritos, quesadillas, fries, burgers, tacos, fish and chips, and hot dogs.

If you are looking for a hotel near Zuma Beach, there are many great nearby options.  Nobu Ryokan Malibu is an upscale adults-only hotel that has Japanese-inspired architecture and it has beautiful landscaping with local plants – it offers many amenities including a zen rock fountain, stone pathways, a spa, a nearby restaurant, a racquet club, a sundeck with ocean views, a fitness center, and in-room spa treatments.  The 4-Star Malibu Beach Inn is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a spa, a fitness center, a beach club, a gift shop, and a restaurant.  Another popular upscale hotel is the 4-Star Surfrider Hotel Malibu that has an interesting surf culture inspired-ambiance, and offers many amenities including a guests-only restaurant, watersporting equipment and beach equipment loaner facilities, surfboard and wetsuit storage facilities, and a shower – the hotel was also listed in Condé Nast Traveler’s “Gold List” of “Best Hotels In The World” in 2020 and 2021.  A more affordable  hotel is the 3-Star Malibu Country Inn that offers many amenities including a pool, an outdoor courtyard, and a restaurant.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, The M Malibu is a 2-Star hotel – this hotel was one of the first motels to be built in Malibu and it offers many amenities including a pool and a sundeck with lounge chairs.