Great for pop-up lessons all day, paddle-out lessons mornings and select days.

 

An old favorite among some of my longtime friends and old heads in the surf community, and just south of the Santa Monica Pier adjacent to the OP Perry’s Beach Cafes.

 

From Bay Street down to Towers 26 & 28, this beach break is a sand bottom that favors WSW swells, NE winds, and low incoming tides. That said, the sandbars in OP are right along beautifully exposed coast line, which means it’s not reliant on just one swell direction for super fun waves. Finding a corner is no problem with us in south Santa Monica.

 

Santa Monica is a beginner-friendly beach! Both in terms of the waves and the vibes. People are friendly and give us tons of “waves” (the hello kind!) when we’re out there. That said, on longer-period swell days, I’ve certainly caught my fair share of barrels and tubes. 

 

If you’re not there yet, don’t worry. We can teachg plenty on most days surfing at Ocean Park.

 

Venice Breakwater and the Venice Pier are two incredibly famous Dogtown spots that have given us some of the most incredible surf I’ve seen here over this past winter 2024. And that bodes GREAT for summer. This season’s largest swells in LA brought plenty of sand in to create clean sandbars both trenched far out enough for super long, peaky surf.

 

Venice breaks best on crossed-up combo swells at moderate, matching frequencies. On long period SSW swells, the offshore Santa Monica Canyon refracts a lot of extra swell toward Venice, making them worthwhile as well.

 

For tides, the Breakwater is best when it’s a bit lower. Both north and south of Venice Pier can handle a bit of extra water in the pool. Plenty of options here! Plenty of options for beginners and imtermediates. And since Venice is a beach break, that means all sand bottoms. 

Great for paddle-out lessons most days, pop-up lessons select days

 

One of the most popular beaches in LA these days, it can be your best friend or a close-out zoo. It really depends how the swells (and the weekend weather) look. If you live in LA, you have a story about Porto, that’s for sure. From this beach, you can find The Strand and the famous Manhattan Pier and volleyball courts from an easy distance. 

 

El Porto is a beach break (sand bottom) with consistent surf mostly year round. The channel into Porto is quite large, and because of this and other factors, most swells will end up reaching its coast line to a degree. NW and WNW swell directions will give Porto is best size, and combo swells with some Southern Hemi provide the best shape. 

 

Porto can be very beginner-friendly, especially in the summer and, for paddling into the lineup, when the tide is a bit higher.

Great for paddle-out lessons on select days. Rarely for pop-up lessons. Recommended for begin-termediate coaching.

 

Surfing in LA and Hawaii, Costa Rica, etc. where you may have done your first surf lesson. That said, if you’re ready and able to paddle out to the point, you’ll find likely the closest “Hawaii” type of experience you’d get surfing in LA here at Sunset Point. This is our only point break on this list, breaking on the continent, and breaks right. Sunset is a slow, long, gentle wave off a beautiful cliff and A-frames perfectly when the right swell hits it. 

 

Full Disclosure: if it sounds too good to be true, it is. It really only breaks on ideal low to mid tides with moderate swell, with that window opening during significant swells. It’s also worth knowing that the initial shoreline is rocky and requires absolute comfort to navigate. That said, if you’re up to the task, the wave itself is super beginner-friendly.

 

Sunset loves a lower tide, a long-period swell from the S, SW, or close W, and a NE or NNE wind