Malibu, 1st Point

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?

Yes.

Slow, forgiving cobblestone right that peels for longboard-length rides. The wave itself is about as mellow as a famous wave gets. The catch is the crowd: priority runs tight on a south swell, so beginners do best on smaller days and early.

Famous for

First Point Malibu. The wave that defined California longboarding in the 1950s and 1960s, namesake of the Malibu surfboard, and host of an annual WSL longboard event.

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.