Staying Home Sucks, home
The Malibu Pier from Surfrider Beach - panoramio
Malibu Surfrider. Photo: Darin R. McClure, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Malibu Surfrider

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

63Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Wed 4: 2 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 73 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
182kJ
Wind
W 7 kn
Temp
20°C

Wed 4 · 74 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
124kJ
Wind
N 2 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 57 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
75kJ
Wind
S 4 kn
Temp
23°C

Fri 6 · 64 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
70kJ
Wind
WNW 2 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 57 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
56kJ
Wind
N 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 53 out of 100

Swell
1 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
49kJ
Wind
N 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Mon 9 · 43 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
44kJ
Wind
S 4 kn
Temp
26°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 275, good
  2. Tue 373, good
  3. Wed 474, good
  4. Thu 557, fair
  5. Fri 664, good
  6. Sat 757, fair
  7. Sun 853, fair
  8. Mon 943, too small
  9. Tue 1046, fair

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 2–7 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Aug–Oct5 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for beginner surfers at Malibu Surfrider, each day
DayScore for beginnersSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov75, good3 ft13 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)266kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore21°C
Tue 3Nov73, good3 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)182kJwind from the west, 7 knots20°C
Wed 4Nov74, good2 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)124kJwind from the north, 2 knots, offshore21°C
Thu 5Nov57, fair2 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)75kJwind from the south, 4 knots23°C
Fri 6Nov64, good2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)70kJwind from the west-north-west, 2 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov57, fair1 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)56kJwind from the north, 4 knots, offshore27°C
Sun 8Nov53, fair1 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)49kJwind from the north, 4 knots, offshore27°C
Mon 9Nov43, too small1 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)44kJwind from the south, 4 knots26°C
Tue 10Nov46, fair1 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)47kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots24°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Mon 2 NovHigh 04:38 +0.4 mLow 09:47 −0.1 mHigh 15:26 +0.6 mLow 22:28 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:18 +0.6 mLow 11:05 −0.3 mHigh 16:49 +0.5 mLow 23:18 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:52 +0.7 mLow 12:03 −0.5 mHigh 17:57 +0.5 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Malibu Surfrider

California Spiny Lobster, Malibu Lagoon State Beach, California 90265, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 177922799
Photo: (c) redrovertracy, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Sanderlings on beach - Malibu Lagoon
Photo: Brett Morrison, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Sanderlings walking on beach - Malibu Lagoon
Photo: Brett Morrison, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Malibu Surfrider

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (178°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (358°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 49). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best months are usually August, September and October, with about 5 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Malibu, 0.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,100–US$2,000 each

about US$1,100–US$2,000 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to LAX, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$516
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$60–US$100
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,100–US$2,000

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Malibu

about 5 min by car · 7 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 7 places to stay in Malibu · Booking.com

About Malibu its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 6h 55m

About 6h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → LAX, direct, then 50 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.