Surfing in Palos Verdes
Surfing guide to Palos Verdes, Los Angeles County, California (South), California, North America
Palos Verdes has 11 surf spots . Go explore!
Overview of surfing in Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes is an upscale area on a wide peninsula that juts out from the city of LA. These neighborhoods are often private and wealthy, marbled with golf courses and beaches. The geography of the coast here is very different from the rest of the LA area. It starts just South of Redondo Beach area and ends around the peninsula in Long Beach. The peninsula is full of cliffs and coves, it feels like a small piece of central California has been sliced into the middle of LA. The waves here are a piece of surf history, Palos Verdes Cove itself fostered early longboarding in California, and the boardriders club there was world famous in its day. Localism can be a problem here, but much less so than it used to be. Don’t step on local’s toes and you will be just fine.
Surf spot overview
Surf Spots
Palos Verdes is best known for long reefs and a couple point breaks perfect for longboarding most days and good for shortboarding some days. The jewel of this area is Palos Verdes Cove, historical in the LA surf scene. The waves here are user friendly when small, peeling through a beautiful cove for a long ways. It can get high performance when big, so don’t forget to bring a shortboard. The next break is Southern California’s premier big wave reef: Lunada Bay. On wintertime swells this spot can get massive and a little sketchy as it breaks over a boulder covered bottom. Locals here are not to be messed with, and live for when this wave gets good.
Access to Surf Spots
Come here with a car and you will be able to get and access anywhere. Parking can be a nightmare at times but you should be able to park within a 15 minute walk to most breaks. Some coves require a short walk in to access.
Surf seasons and when to go
The best time of the year to surf in Palos Verdes
Seasons
There is little variety in the weather here. Summers are hot and dry with temps usually high but also cooled by the ocean breeze. “Winters” here are colder but not by much, the fog is more common and therefore mornings stay a bit cooler. T shirt and flip flops will be fine in the summer, bring a couple layers for winter but you won’t need much. Water temps vary, but a 3/2 will be fine year round, but a springsuit is really all you need in the summer.
Winter
This season is best for surfing larger swells with better winds. The coves on this coastline love winter, especially Lunada Bay, and the offshore winds usually cooperate. . Bring a sweatshirt or two and you’ll be fine.
Summer
Summer is hot and dry with slightly worse winds that pick up earlier. This time of year smaller swells filter in and fill in the south facing areas in Palos Verdes. Longer and slower rides than winter are the norm, come to cruise. Onshores will pick up earlier than winter, so get on it early! T shirts and shorts are the play this time of year.
Palos Verdes surf travel guide
Find trips that fit a flexible lifestyle
Accommodations
This area has little in the way of camping (read no camping). The options will be contrained to high end resorts, hotels, and massive spas. There are some cheaper motels in the area if you head a little inland, but again there is a drive to consider.
Other Activities
Palos Verdes is full of downtime activities for the whole family. There is a lot of hiking around which mostly consists of cliff and canyon areas that often overlook the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Sunsets here are divine, a late evening hike is not a bad idea. There are a plethora of more “country club” activities as well. Golf courses and tennis courts are the norm around here, grab some clubs or a racket and get to it!
