Sandbars Are Firing at Venice, Zuma & Will Rogers 🌊🏄‍♂️

Los Angeles time: March 23, 2026

After one of the most active winter storm seasons in recent memory, Southern California’s beaches have massive sand movement  and that’s great news for summer waves. An unusually high amount of sand has deposited offshore of our favorite beaches. It has built up clean, well‑defined sandbars at Venice Beach, Zuma, and Will Rogers Beach. These bars are creating fun, shaped waves that are perfect for learning, progression, and just plain good surf.

Why Sandbars Make Waves Better

Sandbars are underwater ridges of sand formed by the interaction of waves, currents, tides, and sediment movement. When incoming waves hit these shallow bars, they slow down and break with shape — creating peelable sections and longer rides. Flat, featureless bottoms typically produce mushy, unrideable waves. Here’s a good explanation of the process: 🔗 The formation of good sandbars for surfing — SurferToday

And for the science behind how bathymetry (underwater topography) shapes surf breaks: 🔗 How bathymetry influences waves and surf breaks — SurferToday

Another quick primer on what sandbars are and how they form: 🔗 What is a sandbar and how does it influence wave breaking? — BiologyInsights

Venice Beach: Cleaner Lines & Longer Rides All over

Thanks to storm‑driven sand displacement in late winter, Venice’s nearshore profile has developed supporting bars that hold swell energy and help waves peel. From the Marina del Rey jetty all the way to Santa Monica, Venice is lined with peaks! Instead of slow, weak closeouts, we’re seeing shouldered peaks that offer more time on the face,  a huge bonus for learners and intermediate surfers alike.

Expect fun lines most tides, especially morning sessions before wind picks up. Seems like 3.2 is the magic tide right now! 

Zuma Beach: Structured Peaks & Playful Sections

Up in Malibu, Zuma has a reputation for wide, open beach breaks. But this year the bars are standing up stronger and holding. That means multiple take‑off zones and more open shoulders for longer rides. Where waves might normally mush out on small summer swells, the current bathymetry is creating more defined peaks and cleaner push through the whole section.

Great spot for everyone from longboarders to fish riders to groms just getting started.

Will Rogers Beach: Soft Learning Banks

Will Rogers hasn’t just always been good for new surfers, it’s doing an even better job this season. Sand has built up shallow, forgiving banks that smooth out take‑offs and keep waves breaking gently but consistently. They do need the high tide to work! 

If you’re teaching someone how to paddle, pop up, and cruise their first green wave, this is one of the most supportive learning environments right now.

What’s Happening Under the Surface

Underneath those waves, the story is all about bathymetry — the shape of the ocean floor. When waves transition from deep to shallow water over a sandbar, they slow and lift, causing the wave to break with definition and shape. That’s what makes a wave rideable.

Here’s a deeper science resource: 🔗 Encyclopedia: Sandbar — EOS Surf

Season Outlook: Enjoy It While It Lasts

Sandbars are dynamic!  storms build them, tides reshape them, and wind and swell will slowly flatten them again. Right now, though, the bars at Venice, Zuma, and Will Rogers are functioning really well, creating fun peaks, peelers, and soft shoulders. These are ideal for learners but still enjoyable for intermediates.

Check tide times and wind before you go, especially if you’re aiming for clean conditions early in the morning. Aim for morning high-tides.

Quick Resources

• 🌊 Sandbar & Wave Formation (SurferToday) https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/the-formation-of-good-sandbars-for-surfing
• 📚 Sandbar Bathymetry Explained (SurferToday) https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/how-bathymetry-influences-waves-and-surf-breaks/amp
• 🧠 What Is a Sandbar? (BiologyInsights) https://biologyinsights.com/what-is-a-sandbar-in-the-ocean-and-how-does-it-form/
• 🏄 Sandbar Encyclopedia (EOS Surf) https://www.eos.surf/encyclopedia/sandbar