Venice Beach Surf Guide

Surf spot guide

Ideal Surf Conditions

Swell Direction

SW, WSW, W, WNW combo swells

Wind

E

Surf Height

waist to head high. Doesn't handle much over 8'.

Tide

Medium coming up

Venice Beach Surf Guide

There are a couple of jetties around Venice Beach, but closeouts are still the rule. Venice works best when there are holes in the sandbars or during a crossed-up swell. On a long-period SSW swell, the offshore Santa Monica Canyon refracts a lot of extra swell toward Venice.

Ability Level

Beginner - Intermediate

BegIntAdv

Beginner to intermediate

Local Vibe

Welcoming

WelcomingIntimidating

Peace and Love.

Crowd Factor

Mellow

MellowHeavy

Almost always a few takers at the jetty and gets crowded if it's half-decent. More spread out down the beach.

Spot Rating

Fun

PoorPerfect

Lots of closeouts. Needs good sandbars and a crossed up combo swell to really work well.

Shoulder Burn

Light

LightExhausting

Not bad unless there is a strong, longer period SSW swell then the current can flow like the Nile.

Water Quality

Fair

CleanDirty

It's right outside of the city and can get particularly bad after a rainfall.

Hazards

It's LA....

Bring Your

Shortboard, Fish, Funboard, Longboard, Bodyboard, Skimming, Bodysurfing

Access

Parking lot at Bay Street is your best bet.

Bottom

Sand

Best Season

October-April

Do you have local knowledge about Venice Beach?

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