Staying Home Sucks, home
Witnessing the big waves comfortably
Malibu. Photo: Terry Ballard from Merrick, New York, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Malibu

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

15Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 2 out of 100

Swell
1 ft3 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
SW 6 kn
Temp
16°C

Wed 4 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 s
Energy
13kJ
Wind
SW 4 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 5 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 s
Energy
27kJ
Wind
SSW 10 kn
Temp
18°C

Fri 6 · 18 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 s
Energy
84kJ
Wind
SSW 5 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 24 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 s
Energy
79kJ
Wind
NNW 6 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 24 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 s
Energy
101kJ
Wind
NNW 9 kn
Temp
16°C

Mon 9 · 8 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 s
Energy
91kJ
Wind
W 14 kn
Temp
13°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 32, too small
  2. Wed 44, too small
  3. Thu 55, too small
  4. Fri 618, too small
  5. Sat 724, too small
  6. Sun 824, too small
  7. Mon 98, too small
  8. Tue 103, too small
  9. Wed 114, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–11 ftof swell
  • Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best Mar–Apr, Sep–Oct1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Malibu, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov2, too small1 ft3 s1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the south-west, 6 knots16°C
Wed 4Nov4, too small1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.)13kJwind from the south-west, 4 knots17°C
Thu 5Nov5, too small2 ft6 s2 ft at break (est.)27kJwind from the south-south-west, 10 knots18°C
Fri 6Nov18, too small3 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.)84kJwind from the south-south-west, 5 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov24, too small3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.)79kJwind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore17°C
Sun 8Nov24, too small3 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.)101kJwind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore16°C
Mon 9Nov8, too small3 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.)91kJwind from the west, 14 knots13°C
Tue 10Nov3, too small1 ft9 s2 ft at break (est.)26kJwind from the west-north-west, 16 knots14°C
Wed 11Nov4, too small2 ft5 s2 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the north-west, 14 knots11°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 01:53 +0.6 mLow 07:55 −0.5 mHigh 14:11 +0.7 mLow 20:33 −0.7 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 02:56 +0.7 mLow 09:02 −0.6 mHigh 15:13 +0.7 mLow 21:27 −0.7 m
  • Thu 5 NovHigh 03:51 +0.8 mLow 10:01 −0.6 mHigh 16:09 +0.7 mLow 22:16 −0.7 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 experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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

Photos of Malibu

Surf's up!
Near Malibu. Photo: Terry Ballard from Merrick, New York, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Surf
Near Malibu. Photo: Terry Ballard from Merrick, New York, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Debris at Lido Beach Wildlife Management Area
Near Malibu, 1 km away. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Live webcam

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Live webcam

Reynolds Channel at Point Lookout, 1 km away

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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Malibu

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

The spot faces S (189°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (9°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April, September and October, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Long Beach, 5.2 km away (9 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots and 4 wind sports spots.

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$980–US$1,760 each

about US$980–US$1,760 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 ORD to JFK, estimated from distance and season, 4 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$161–US$329
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$27–US$47
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$980–US$1,760

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

Lido Beach

4 min by car · 5 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 5 places to stay in Lido Beach · Booking.com

About Lido Beach 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 4h 40m

About 4h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → JFK, direct, then 35 min by road

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

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