Santa Monica & Venice surf reports

Best seasons

Summer. South and southwest swells are Sunset’s season: a slow right that peels over rocks and sand, best on a longboard. Bay Street’s sandbars pick up the same swells, and west swells too. Sessions are cleanest early, because an onshore breeze roughs up this open stretch by midday. The water climbs into the high 60s by August, and summer weekends fill the sand and the water alike.

Winter. West and northwest swells belong to the Venice Breakwater. The jetty dates to 1905, when Abbot Kinney wanted it to shield his pleasure pier. Sand banks up along it and shapes hollow, punchy peaks that run both left and right, unlike the straight beach on either side. Bay Street’s sandbar peaks close out once a big swell builds. Santa Ana mornings blow offshore. The water drops to the upper 50s, so wear a full suit.

Spring and fall. Fall is the overlap: late south swells meet the first west swells, offshore mornings come back and the water keeps its summer warmth. Spring runs cool and quiet until the first south swells show up, usually in May.

Where to start

Beginners. Bay Street is the place to learn: easy sandbar peaks, with the big beach lot right behind them. Sunset suits newer surfers on small days if they stay on the inside, away from the pack at the point. Leave the Venice Breakwater, with its jetty rocks and rips, for later.

Longboards. Sunset is a longboard wave first, and its rocky shoreline takes care getting in and out. Bay Street suits a longboard on small, clean days.

Shortboards. The Venice Breakwater has the most push when a west or northwest swell runs, and its weekend takeoffs get crowded. Bay Street turns fun on a shortboard when the sandbars line up.

Which spot for which swell

Guide updated October 2026