Malibu — 1st Point
Cobblestone right point off PCH in Malibu. South-facing pocket inside Santa Monica Bay, primarily a summer south-swell magnet shaped by the Channel Islands swell shadow on west energy.
Spot intel
Parking
Paid lot at Surfrider Beach off PCH, about 100 spaces with a meter fee. Free street parking along PCH fills before first light on a swell. Car break-ins are regular.
Crowd
Stacked. Longboard presence runs generational. The lineup runs at contest density on any south swell.
Beginner-friendly?
No.
Long cobblestone wall with a tight priority hierarchy and no shoulder room when it's on. The wave shape looks mellow from the sand but the lineup is not.
Lineup etiquette
At a longboard point, priority extends further back along the shoulder than at a shortboard break. Paddling inside an active takeoff is the standard call-out.
When it's on
South or southwest groundswell with light offshore from the north through northeast. Mid to lower tide window.
Where it breaks
- Coordinates
- 34.0380, -118.6770
- Shore faces
- SSW
- Region
- Malibu, California
Launching summer 2026 — get notified.
Ghost Fingers is the California-built surf forecast that reads the buoys, the nearshore wave model, and the wind grid honestly. One email when Malibu — 1st Point goes live in the app.
Other Malibu spots
- Malibu — 3rd Point · Famous spot
- Sunset (Malibu) · Famous + beginner-friendly