Palos Verdes Surf Report
Palos Verdes Surf Report
If you are going to surf Palos Verdes (Los Angeles), you need a good reliable Palos Verdes surf report. There are a number of California surf reports, both free and paid. Ironically, the best Palos Verdes surf reports are FREE. Windy.com publishes the newest and most easily understood graphics. Click on the text link under the embed map. If you are just beginning, scroll to the bottom of the page for a link that will take you to our understanding surfing reports page.
Having advanced information at your fingertips can play a big role in the planning of surf opportunities and allows the modern surfer to manage their time efficiently. With surfing conditions in constant change from one day to the next, the insights provided through surf forecasting proves invaluable to the surfer whose days in the water are limited. Time is money… and time is perhaps what you need to have a positive surfing experience. Study so you don’t waste your time. As any surfer will tell you…
New surfers should only concentrate on the three main areas which will provide you with the most valuable and important snippets of information. These bits of information only become valuable to you when you can relate what you see on the screen to what you see on the beach. Later you can get the more detailed surf reports. San Pedro Surf Report from Windy.com
Palos Verdes Beach
Portuguese Bend Club is a private gated housing community in Rancho Palos Verdes. The community has a private beach club on Portuguese Bend Cove. The wide flat beach has imported sand, shaded picnic tables, sport courts, volleyball courts, and a playground for kids. The south end of the beach has rocks and tide pools to explore at low tide. The beach is rocky in both directions from here, but still invite beachcombing exploration. South of the club is Rancho Palos Verdes Beach and north of the club is the public beach called Portuguese Bend Cove Beach in Abalone Cove Shoreline Park. Anyone can walk the wet part of the beach in front of the club by starting at either of these public beaches. Just stay back from the private beach and facilities. The route from Portuguese Bend Cove Beach is rocky and narrow.
Pelican Cove Beach is below a parking lot on the southbound lanes of Palos Verdes Drive just south of the Point Vicente Park and Lighthouse. This beach was formerly known as Point Vicente Fishing Access, but ironically in 2012 the ocean waters here became Point Vicente State Marine Conservation Area. This new “no take” designation means that fishing is no longer permitted period. The steep access trail, called the Toveemor Trail, begins at the north end of the parking lot and takes you to a rocky beach that is now best suited to tidepooling and scuba diving. The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy has protected nine acres of the bluff where this access trail descends to Pelican Cove. Walking trails head south from the parking lot and meander along the bluff top in front of the Terranea Resort and Golf Course. This is an excellent spot for whale watching during their migration. An interpretive center and museum are nearby at Point Vicente Park. Across the street is Alta Vicente Reservie with several more hiking trails to explore.
WARNING: The Palos Verdes Peninsula isn’t known for it’s surfing outside of local circles and there is a reason for that. It’s called “localism” and this area has a severe case of this disease. With a location between Los Angeles and Long Beach, and possessing some excellent breaks, you’d think this place would be better known. The locals know these spots as Palos Verdes Cove, Lunada Bay, Haggertys at Malaga Cove among other names.
Localism is when locals intimidate and threaten non-locals to keep them from visiting places. There are many documented cases of threats, property crimes, and physical abuse of people who have come from outside Palos Verdes to enjoy these surf spots. Until the local authorities get this under control, we can’t recommend that you head out to PV to surf, but we wanted to show you where they are and what they look like.