Malibu

Tides matter most at El Matador and the other sea cave beaches. At high tide the caves and tide pools are under water and the beach gets narrow, so go on a lower tide to reach the caves, the sea stacks and the rocks. Leo Carrillo's best tide pools are on the north side, and you can only get to them on a lower tide. The nearest NOAA tide station is Santa Monica.

Malibu stretches along 27 miles of Los Angeles coastline, from Tuna Canyon west to Point Mugu in Ventura County. The mountains and canyons come down almost to the water, and the public beach access paths run between expensive houses.

Malibu Creek State Park and the Santa Monica Mountains put green hills right above the waterline, so the coast looks nothing like the flat beach towns further south. Surfrider Beach, near the pier, is a point break. Its three surf breaks, the pier and parts of Surfrider and Malibu Lagoon State Beaches make up the Malibu Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.

Beaches and breaks:

• Surfrider Beach — the point break and public beach next to the pier.
• Malibu Pier — an old wooden pier with fishing and a view back toward the Santa Monica Mountains.
• El Matador State Beach — sea stacks and sea caves below the bluff.
• Leo Carrillo State Park — sea caves, tide pools, and a long sandy beach at the western end of LA County.
• Zuma Beach — a wide sandy beach with lifeguards, and the easiest beach in Malibu to get to with kids.
• Point Dume State Beach — a blufftop point for whale watching, with a sheltered cove below that takes a short hike to reach.
• Paradise Cove — a private beach open to visitors, with a seafood restaurant on the sand.