Why you should NEVER surf Malibu

I break down why you should resist the urge to surf Malibu with examples of the pure chaos that exist there.
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Thanks for watching! I'm Brad Jacobson and I'll sea ya on the sand.

[davidpeck]

I surfed Malibu one time. It was 1996 or so. I live in San Diego and my kids lived in LA with their mom. So I came up on a Saturday to see them and take them to the beach. They were 9 and 11. There was a small but consistent south swell, I paddled out and had an uneventful hour or so of sitting on my board and not getting any waves due to not being local and not wanting to challenge any of the other 1000 or so surfers out that day. So I moved outside and finally, a good size wave came my way. I looked around and no one was paddling so I grabbed it. As I rode the wave I was amazed that I had it all to myself, it felt like divine intervention. That was one of the longest waves of my life, not the best wave ever, but it was mine. After that I was done for the day, I surfed Malibu.

[NONSTOPSURFF]

As a novice, I'm incredibly surprised by the lack of awareness and disregard for other people on the wave. The first board I bought was a Wavestorm and it came with actual surf etiquette instructions outlining how to respect the lineup and not drop in. I've been surfing for almost a year now and am still surprised at how crazy Malibu is. We all make mistakes but seeing them look directly at a surfer and still decide to drop in baffles me.

[egnjisl]

PLEASE KEEP MAKING THESE! I think it's vital for the sport and especially for education in the area that people are made aware of this chaos. I haven't surfed bu in 3 years bc it's gotten so terrible exacerbated and amplified from greenies during covid who never learned properly. I have had about 6 boards ruined in 2020 alone to make me quite that spot permanently.

[LongTimeITWorker]

I grew up in the south bay and have been surfing since the 1960's and have seen plenty of crowds. But this video is probably the most depressing thing I have ever seen in my life. Please continue making these. Perhaps a few people will learn from these.

[lukeserio]

I can feel a trend coming on with these videos. Please don’t stop making them! People will eventually catch on and surf etiquette will hopefully start to improve across the board!! Great watch.

[rykcan-]

this is gold. if more people saw this maybe surf etiquette would improve. the concept of this video might even be compelling enough to build a web series around it.

[cruisinwithcoop]

I've been surfing 1st, 2nd and 3rd point Malibu consistently for my entire life and I can attest that getting waves out there is difficult. Over the years I've learned how to find the right waves and how to get a good amount of those waves to myself. It takes a lot of patience to find the right wave, to take off in the right place and negotiate the crowd on your way to the beach. We have had a number of days like this video in recent past where we get a good swell and everyone comes to Malibu. The problem with that is that your taking a world class wave and having kooks paddle out thinking they own the place. There are also a handful of "bad apples" out in the lineup that are always out there on good days and they give zero fux about everyone else. So it's forsure a melting pot of issues. However the wave is incredible and the beach itself means a lot to me so I'll be out there fighting for waves for forever.

[Trempi.]

Dude on the blue boards gotta go. First almost took that woman’s leg out then did the same thing to the guy who pushed him away. Even after being confronted does the exact same thing. These are the people who get others hurt in the water.

[randyc]

From an old school retired skateboarder, this was a great education on surf-etiquette. Thank you.

[amir]

Brad this is gold, can we get more videos like this?

[notmychannelname]

I don't even surf, but I feel like I'm learning the most important parts of it first. Seems like this is the kind of stuff that people would teach first before you even step into the water.

[richo]

The bigger question is who rolls up to a spot, sees 150 surfers already on it, and still paddles out?!? There are always less crowded options - with Malibu that would be every other option.

[Easy_Reef]

I surfed one time in my life, in huntington beach a bit further south. The spot was crowded but not as bad as this. As a new surfer, I thought to myself : "This is pure chaos". It seemed like everyone got on the wave when they wanted to and there was no ''rule'' or "priority" to follow. I feel like to an experienced surfer, the "Code of Conduct" is clear but for someone like me who just rented a wetsuit and a surfboard, I didn't understand what I did right or wrong in regards to that.

[delphinoulysseswilliams]

PLEASE PLEASE MAKE MORE OF THESE! LOVED IT FROM START TO END! THANK YOU!

[tmasibrudoctor]

Can confirm this phenomenon is occurring all over Sydney Australia too.


The best waves are in the quiet coastal towns with a dozen surfers on one break and heaps of quiet spots everywhere else.

[webinarprofessor]

I'm now 76 years old, and started surfing Malibu in 1963. As I watched this video, I thought to myself "back then some of these clowns would have received a beat-down on the beach - by a few of the local all-time greats". Thank you Brad for posting this video. Rich Muller

[reddiver]

I had the privilege of talking story with the late surfing legend, Buzzy Trent. Amazing stories! And brother was so humble. He spoke about surfing Malibu in the late 40s/early 50s. No crowds. Commuting from home to beach and back, Buzzy and friends would bury their surfboards before leaving and uncover next morning. He said when they got hungry, they would dive for (back then) plentiful abalone and kelp and roast over a fire on the beach.
Buzzy was a really cool guy. I used to swim laps at Ala Moana with him. And sometimes cycle together on Kalanianaole Highway.
Anyway, sounds like Buzzy's Malibu days were Heaven on Earth.

[Steve-whgd]

Brad, this isn't just a Surfer thing it's society. Lack of moral's and respect towards each other.

[niclowe]

I visited Malibu about 3 years ago, visiting from Australia where etiquette still exists (at least at our beach). I paddled out on the second day took off on my first wave of the day. I was in great position and got immediately dropped in on by 2 guys, the second one in front of me saw the guy in front of him and bailed throwing his board in the air (no leg rope). As the fin was about to hit me in the forehead I put my hand up (just in time). It almost took my thumb off. A trip to instacare and 30 stitches later. I'm a massage therapist and so there goes my income for several months. I saw him the next day on the beach and he shrugged and said "just a scratch" me with my hand bandaged and on pain meds. It's the most beautiful wave but you take your life in your hands literally. The instacare doc said she had seen horrendous injuries from Malibu. The incredible thing was that it was early and not many surfers in the water yet what the???

[richardewels]

A big thanks to all involved for a thoroughly entertaining spectacle. Wouldn't surf there in a thousand years but enjoyed watching it the way I like a good horror movie.