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Drain Pipes, United States

Stay in Malibu: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Malibu

All 15 on Malibu's map

Watch this spot We email you when Drain Pipes is worth the trip.

Late Afternoon at Zuma Beach - panoramio
Near Drain Pipes, 1 km away. Photo: y-yoshiike, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Drain Pipes

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SW (211°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (31°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, March, April and May, with about 2 good days in 7; in February and August, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Malibu. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.

Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 7 h 05 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), direct.

    See flights MDW → LAX · Skyscanner from about £215 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h from the airport to Drain Pipes.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Nearest beds: Malibu, 12 km (about 25 min by car)Ad

    Drain Pipes is 12 km from the beds: plan on the drive each day you surf.

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay in Malibu, 12 km away on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Malibu · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Malibu · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Drain Pipes on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct223 ft13 shollow279kJ24°C
Mon 19Oct283 ft13 shollow345kJ21°C
Tue 20Oct233 ft12 shollow301kJ21°C
Wed 21Oct243 ft11 shollow227kJ19°C
Thu 22Oct153 ft11 shollow150kJ19°C
Fri 23Oct123 ft5 smushy34kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct152 ft12 shollow111kJ23°C
Sun 25Oct112 ft12 shollow79kJ24°C
Mon 26Oct102 ft12 shollow66kJ25°C
Tue 27Oct102 ft5 shollow23kJ23°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to LAX, then 1h by road. About 7h 05 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to LAX, then 1h by road. About 7h 05 door to door

The plan picks the best of 7 spots near Malibu each day: Drain Pipes, Latigo Point, Malibu Surfrider, Point Dume - Little Dume, The Hut - Paradise Cove, Westward Beach, Zuma Beach.

The trip from Malibu, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £960–£1,750 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to LAX, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£215–£450
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£65–£110
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£270–£455
Food7 days eating out£260–£480
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£115–£190
Total£960–£1,750

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Malibu

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Nearest beds: Malibu, 12 km (about 25 min by car) · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.