Sandy and swimmable, unlike a lot of the rocky surfer/focused beaches further north around malibu. water smells like seawater, not the cleanest in the world but not dirty by any means. sand is clean and plenty of trash receptacles. also a stinky bathroom and outdoor rinsing area, though it was flooded and nonfunctional when i went. plenty of parking at affordable day rates under 10$

the beach wasnt too busy when i went in mid-october, water was the perfect temp on an 84 degree day. not too cold, just refreshing. so lovely for a dip and then bask in the sun.

good beach for families and big groups bc theres a lot of space especially in months like october, and it's consistently hotter than the more southern beaches like manhattan beach, so more swimmable late into the season/fall. if you swim, BEWARE THE WAVES!

waves can get big and riptide is real. lifeguards arent super stacked in the off season, just in the higher up posts that cant rescue ppl as easily. i imagine there are more lifeguards in the summer season. if youre a good swimmer, go with a group of ppl, or just wade it's a nonissue. but if ur not a great swimmer i would advise against anything more than wading. look what other ppl are doing and decide that way.

personally i am TALL and a GOOD SWIMMER so i was confident i could handle going in chest deep. the big waves did batter me around and at one point i got sucked under for a good 10 seconds caught in the tide. not a big deal at all if you know how to handle that sort of situation, i was fine. but inexperienced swimmers beware. west coast waves very different from elsewhere.