What is the best tide for Big Rock?

Big Rock works best on mid to high tide. Tide matters because depth is what trips a wave: as the water fills in, the break slides shoreward onto a different part of the bottom, and over a shallow bank enough water stops it breaking at all. Our forecast solves each hour at that hour's real water level rather than assuming one.

What swell direction is best for Big Rock?

S–SW groundswell suits Big Rock best. The direction that matters is the one at the break, not the one on the buoy: the seafloor bends swell on its way in, so a spot can work on an angle the open coast is missing. We model that bending for each break rather than reporting the offshore direction.

Is Big Rock good for beginners?

Big Rock suits advanced surfers, over rock reef below the PCH bluff. That is the wave this bottom makes on an average day, and it moves: the same break is a different proposition on a bigger swell or a different tide, so read the day's forecast rather than the label.

What is the bottom like at Big Rock?

rock reef below the PCH bluff. It is the reason this break behaves the way it does: the shape of the seabed decides where the swell focuses, where it trips, and whether it spills or pitches. We model Big Rock on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.

Big Rock surf report and forecast

Reef breakMalibu, Los Angeles, CAForecast 9:53am

Forecast for the selected hour

Now · 3pm

3–4 ft · sets to 5

FairBest available today 4–7pm

Swell lines up. Wind is the limiting factor.

3-hourlyGlobal model6-hourly

Hour by hour · TodaySunrise 7:02 · tap an hour

SurfftWindmphTideftSwells · from

Best available

sunset 6:16

Model, not a camera ·Today 3pm PDT

Open on the map

The wave field solved for this hour on the real seafloor, playing forward. A model, not a camera.

Loads when it comes into view.

The wave field solved for this hour on the real seafloor, playing forward. A model, not a camera.

This hour

The 3pm readingSwell, wind, tide, breaker, energy, water

Swell2.3 ft · 15 s · SSWMakes the wave: 100% of the energy. Direction at the break.
Wind9 mph from the SWOnshore to a shoreline facing 188°Moderate
Tide4.0 ft, risingNext high 4.0 ft at 3:29pm · NAVD88, NOAA 9410840 observed
BreakerPlungingBreaks in about 6 ft of water
Energy117 kJHeight² × period²Moderate
Water70° · air 80° · UV 4

High confidence.

Best window4–7pm

No strong window today. Best available: 4–7pm, fair.

Today was better earlier: 11am–2pm, 3-4 ft, fair-good.

Against what Big Rock likesWhy it is Fair, not Fair-Good

Preferred tide and swell are surfer-consensus notes for this spot, not yet reviewed against measurements. Wind is judged by the general rule (light or offshore helps). No percent match: these are plain states and reasons.

Nearby at 3pmLas Tunas, Topanga and 3 more

Compare on the map

The break

The seafloorRock reef below the PCH bluff

Loading the seafloor under Big Rock…

Open the seafloor on the map

Shallow is light, deep is dark; contours every few feet; the relief is exaggerated.

Bottomrock reef below the PCH bluff
DepthCUDEM 1/9 arc-second (2022), relative to NAVD88. Depth shown is below the selected hour’s tide.
CoverageRock reef and headland shapes resolve well. Nearshore sandbars are interpolated flat in this dataset, so a beachbreak’s bar is not in the picture. A tile’s year is its publication, not the survey date.

Why it breaks like thisOne swell, uncrossed, the seafloor is neutral here, where it trips

Read from the current hour (today at 3pm). Each number, and what it does to the wave.

One swell, uncrossed
2.3 ft at 15s from the SSW and nothing significant crossing it.
A single train is the cleanest case there is: the sets arrive from one angle, so the peak should sit in the same place each time instead of wandering. Why period matters more than height
The seafloor is neutral here
Kr 1.00 · 88% of modelled rays break.
Energy arrives roughly as it left deep water: this bottom neither concentrates the swell nor fans it out, so what the buoy sees is close to what you get. Why two breaks a mile apart differ
Where it trips
4.0 ft of tide; waves are breaking in about 6 ft of water.
A wave breaks when the water gets shallow enough relative to its height, so that depth is a contour on the seafloor, and the tide slides the whole break up and down it through the day. Same swell, different spot, a few hours apart. How the tide moves the break
Wind is onshore
9 mph from the SW, against a shoreline facing 188°.
Pushing into the back of the wave from the sea, making it crumble and break early instead of standing up. Note this is measured against the angle THIS break faces, which is why one spot can be blown out while the one round the headland is fine.
How the sets come
About one set every 3 min, roughly 12 waves in it.
Swell arrives in groups, not evenly. That spacing is what you are really timing your paddle-out to, and it's why the lineup can look flat for minutes and then produce five waves at once.

How Big Rock worksA short, fast reef right below the PCH bluffs

A short, fast reef right below the PCH bluffs — shallow, punchy, and known for a tight local crew. Needs a solid south to break properly.

Best tidemid to high
Best swellS–SW groundswell
Suitsadvanced

1 swell train in the current hour · How this is calculated

Common questions4 questions about Big Rock

What is the best tide for Big Rock?: Big Rock works best on mid to high tide. Tide matters because depth is what trips a wave: as the water fills in, the break slides shoreward onto a different part of the bottom, and over a shallow bank enough water stops it breaking at all. Our forecast solves each hour at that hour's real water level rather than assuming one.
What swell direction is best for Big Rock?: S–SW groundswell suits Big Rock best. The direction that matters is the one at the break, not the one on the buoy: the seafloor bends swell on its way in, so a spot can work on an angle the open coast is missing. We model that bending for each break rather than reporting the offshore direction.
Is Big Rock good for beginners?: Big Rock suits advanced surfers, over rock reef below the PCH bluff. That is the wave this bottom makes on an average day, and it moves: the same break is a different proposition on a bigger swell or a different tide, so read the day's forecast rather than the label.
What is the bottom like at Big Rock?: rock reef below the PCH bluff. It is the reason this break behaves the way it does: the shape of the seabed decides where the swell focuses, where it trips, and whether it spills or pitches. We model Big Rock on real 10-foot bathymetry instead of treating the seafloor as a slope.