Malibu is a south facing beach with a point curved out to sea at the mouth of Malibu Creek. The waves have a very well-shaped curl, sometimes up to 10 to 12 feet, more often 2 to 4 feet. Even small waves give good rides. Where the waves peak near The Point, good surfers can get a 1/4-mile ride.

If today you should walk along the ocean's edge and ask a young surfer what he likes about the Malibu surf, he would likely say, "It's perfect; it starts as a barrel, then a wall, and then a barrel again .... It's just perfect."