Zuma Beach • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (November - February)

Zuma Beach is at its best when the North Pacific storm track turns on and the offshore wind machine comes alive. From November through February, ideal wind conditions blow between 51% and 63% of the time, with N/NNE/NE/ENE directions grooming the southwest-facing sandbars. Swell averages 3-3.5ft (0.9-1.1m) with long periods of 12-12.4s. While pure west and west-northwest energy dominates the winter wave rose, the WSW and SW components are strong enough to light up the beach, and the long-period WNW swell wraps and refracts into the cove. Winter storms spinning in the Gulf of Alaska push cold fronts through Southern California, and the high-pressure offshore events that follow deliver the cleanest, most powerful surf of the year.

Fair Surf Season (March - April, October)

These shoulder months are a mixed bag. March and April still have decent groundswell, with average heights around 3.5-3.9ft (1.1-1.2m), but the percentage of favorable wind drops to 35-41% as west and southwest winds become more frequent. October offers the reverse: the North Pacific begins to stir, swell direction shifts more into the SSW/SW/WSW window, and ideal wind jumps to 42%, making it a promising transition month for clean, lined-up waves.

Low Surf Season (May - September)

From late spring through summer, Southern Hemisphere groundswells and occasional south swells provide nicely angled SSW/SW/WSW swell - in fact, the summer months see the highest fraction of swell from Zuma's optimal fetch. However, the wave heights shrink to around 3ft (0.9m) and the prevailing onshore westerly flow destroys the surface texture. Ideal wind plummets to between 22% and 28%. The summer months are decidedly small and generally bumpy, though combo swells can still send fun, rippable waves to the more exposed sandbars.