Zuma Beach Surf Guide
Surf spot guide
Ideal Surf Conditions
Swell Direction
S, SW, W
Wind
NE, E, can handle SE.
Surf Height
Waist high to double overhead and beyond.
Tide
Mid.
Zuma Beach Surf Guide
This three-mile long beach is a popular summer spot. The area serves up a punchy shorepound, with mostly lefts during summer. Great place for bodyboarding, but gets heavy with size and is absolutely nuts over 10 feet. Your best chance is to catch it on a crossed-up swell, stronger from the south, with Santa Ana winds.At the very southern end of Zuma is a stretch called Westward or Drainpipes, one of the heaviest beachbreaks in Southern California. How heavy? This is where one of California's most promising amateurs, Jesse Billauer, hit the sandbar wrong and is now paralyzed from the waist down. (Today, he helps fellow spinal cord victims with his foundation, Life Rolls On). The wave is no joke, and it's always thicker, hollower and bigger than it looks. Big summer south swells wrap around the point, grinding out bathing suit-stripping lefts. Follow Westward Beach Road as it snakes a mile-and-a-half out to a dramatic rock cliff at the north side of Point Dume. Voted most likely to blow out.
Ability Level
Intermediate - Advanced
Intermediate to advanced.
Local Vibe
Welcoming
Not much.
Crowd Factor
Mellow
The good days will have a crew, but there's plenty of room.
Spot Rating
Fun
Average beachbreak, but if you catch it on the right combo or tropical swell you may call it world class.
Shoulder Burn
Medium
Not typically too bad but can turn into a lot of duck diving if it's solid. There's no shortage of rip on solid Southern Hemi swells.
Water Quality
Clean
Not great after a rain.
Hazards
Heavy shorepound, shallow sandbars, possible sharks near Westward and the Pt. Dume Deepwater Canyon where a couple kayakers were attacked years ago.
Bring Your
Shortboard, Skimming, Bodyboard, Bodysurfing, Kiteboard
Access
Easy. Right along PCH. Look for the signs.
Bottom
Sand.
Best Season
March-October.
Do you have local knowledge about Zuma Beach?
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