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?

37Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 64 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
218kJ
Wind
WSW 1 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 40 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
119kJ
Wind
N 3 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 28 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
85kJ
Wind
NNW 3 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 31 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
75kJ
Wind
NW 2 kn
Temp
25°C

Sat 7 · 27 out of 100

Swell
1 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
62kJ
Wind
N 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 26 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
52kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 22 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
46kJ
Wind
SW 3 kn
Temp
26°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 364, good
  2. Wed 440, too small
  3. Thu 528, too small
  4. Fri 631, too small
  5. Sat 727, too small
  6. Sun 826, too small
  7. Mon 922, too small
  8. Tue 1019, too small
  9. Wed 1124, too small

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 intermediate surfers at Malibu Surfrider, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov64, good3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)218kJwind from the west-south-west, 1 knot21°C
Wed 4Nov40, too small2 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)119kJwind from the north, 3 knots, offshore21°C
Thu 5Nov28, too small2 ft11 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.)85kJwind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore22°C
Fri 6Nov31, too small2 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)75kJwind from the north-west, 2 knots25°C
Sat 7Nov27, too small1 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)62kJwind from the north, 3 knots, offshore28°C
Sun 8Nov26, too small1 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)52kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots28°C
Mon 9Nov22, too small1 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)46kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots26°C
Tue 10Nov19, too small1 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.)39kJwind from the south, 3 knots25°C
Wed 11Nov24, too small1 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)44kJwind from the east, 2 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

  • 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
  • Thu 5 NovLow 00:01 −0.7 mHigh 06:25 +0.8 mLow 12:51 −0.7 mHigh 18:54 +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 intermediates: 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 (2 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 2 November 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$517
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$60–US$101
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$302–US$503
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$148–US$242
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

2 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 2 November 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.

Saved: this link opens the same trip

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.