The Southern California town of Malibu is a great place to enjoy the sand and surf. Though average water temperatures in the area range between a moderate 55 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit from June through September, the familiar California sun can still give the south-facing beaches of Malibu a healthy dose of summer warmth. There are dozens of beaches in the city, a handful of which consistently reach air temperatures above 60 degrees, even in the spring.
Point Dume State Beach
- Be wary of getting lost in the cliffs, headlands, coves and wide-open beach that sprawl across Point Dume State Beach, which sits on the point where Malibu extends south into the Pacific. The beach allows swimming, surfing, scuba diving and fishing, and the surrounding nature preserve gives hikers panoramic views stretching across the Malibu coast -- east to Santa Monica Bay and the Santa Monica Mountains and south to Catalina Island. You may even spot a migrating California gray whale during your visit.
Zuma County Beach
- Zuma County Beach also has plenty of sand and space to explore, and sits just west of Point Dume. The kids -- or just the kid inside you -- can play on the volleyball courts or take a whirl on one of the swing sets. There is also a 2.5-mile bike path on the northern outskirts of the beach. Though the water Zuma, like that at other Malibu beaches, is on the colder side compared to more southerly spots, it's noticeably clearer.
Malibu Lagoon State Beach
- Malibu Lagoon State Beach is named for the lagoon where Malibu Creek flows into the Pacific Ocean just east of Malibu Point. A section of the larger beach is informally known as Surfrider Beach because of its ideal location and swells. On top of its attraction for surfers, the beach offers tours of its wetlands, tide pools and monarch butterfly habitats, as well Adamson House, first designed in 1929. Of course, you can always just relax and enjoy the sunshine.
Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach
- About a ten-minute drive west of Zuma County Beach sits the conglomeration of tiny beaches that make up Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach. Bordered on the western edge by the expanse of Leo Carrillo State Park -- with its own sunny beach -- the Robert H. Meyer beach is actually three pocket beaches: El Pescador, La Piedra and El Matador. They are cut off from one another, and from above, by protective bluffs.
