El Porto 45th St
West-facing beachbreak at the north end of Manhattan Beach, between the dunes and the El Segundo refinery. Sand bottom with peaks that shift session to session.
Spot intel
Parking
Metered street parking along Highland Avenue and the numbered streets. Paid lot at 45th Street, about 60 spaces. Lot fills early on any swell.
Crowd
Thick. The lineup spreads across the dozen blocks of beach, so density depends on which peak is breaking. Shortboard-leaning.
Beginner-friendly?
Depends.
Sand bottom and multiple peaks make small days approachable. On any size, the peaks suck up fast and the priority hierarchy at the working banks is contested.
Lineup etiquette
Beachbreak priority is per-wave, not by lineup position. A wave already taken from the peak isn't open to paddle into.
When it's on
Combo west-southwest through west-northwest swell with light offshore from the east. Mid-tide window.
When beginners can paddle out
Waist-high or smaller on a mid-tide with light morning wind. The outer peaks settle on smaller days.
Where it breaks
- Coordinates
- 33.9010, -118.4130
- Shore faces
- W
- Region
- South Bay LA, California
Launching summer 2026.
Six-tier verdicts for every California break, calibrated to swell, period, direction, tide, and wind. One email when El Porto 45th St ships in the app.
Other South Bay LA spots
- Bruce's Beach · Beginner-friendly