The best place to paddle board in Los Angeles for beginners is Marina del Rey: launch from Mother’s Beach, rent a board right on the sand, and paddle the calm harbor channels. For a quieter, prettier paddle, head south to Alamitos Bay in Long Beach and loop through the canals around Naples.
Los Angeles works for paddling because its harbors and bays are protected by breakwaters, so you can paddle flat water within sight of open ocean. Weather is mild most of the year, and there’s an inland lagoon if you’d rather skip salt water. The trade-offs are boat traffic in the harbors and water quality, which can be poor after rain and in enclosed corners with little circulation.
Quick answer
- First time on a board: Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey, with a rental shop on the sand.
- Calm and scenic: Alamitos Bay and the Naples canals in Long Beach.
- South Bay: King Harbor in Redondo Beach, with a valet launch.
- Harbor views: the harbor side of Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro.
- A freshwater option: Castaic Lagoon, where only non-powered boats are allowed.
The best places to paddle board in Los Angeles
Marina del Rey
Directions
Best for: beginners, rentals, a long flat-water paddle. Flat water, with boat traffic.
Marina del Rey is a huge small-craft harbor between Venice and Playa del Rey, with long channels lined by docks and a breakwater at the mouth. Marina Beach, known locally as Mother’s Beach, sits on a calm basin off the main channel and has a roped-off swimming and wading area.
Where to launch: Mother’s Beach (4101 Admiralty Way) has a hand-carried boat launch, lifeguards, restrooms and showers. Large public parking lots are along Via Marina at Admiralty Way and at Panay Way. Launch outside the roped swim area.
Rentals and lessons: Pro SUP Shop (4175 Admiralty Way), right on Mother’s Beach, rents paddle boards and kayaks and runs private and group SUP lessons and guided tours.
What to watch for: The main channel carries everything from sailboats to charter boats. Stay close to the docks on the edges, cross channels quickly and at right angles, and don’t go out past the breakwater unless you’re experienced and the ocean is calm.
Good to know: Mother’s Beach is enclosed, with little water circulation, and Heal the Bay has flagged its water quality for years. Check the Beach Report Card before you go and don’t paddle within 72 hours of rain.
King Harbor (Redondo Beach)
DirectionsBest for: South Bay paddlers who want a sheltered harbor. Flat water, with boat traffic.
King Harbor is Redondo Beach’s breakwater-protected small-boat harbor, with several marina basins next to the Redondo Beach Pier. It’s a compact, sheltered place to paddle, with the open ocean just over the breakwater.
Rentals: Rocky Point Fun rents SUPs and kayaks. Its store is at 504 North Broadway, and it runs a valet launch at 250 North Harbor Drive #309 on the harbor, so you can pick up a board and get straight on the water. Check its site for current rental and launch hours.
What to watch for: Stay inside the breakwater and out of the harbor entrance, where boats come and go and ocean swell meets the harbor.
Good to know: Like every LA harbor, water quality drops after rain. LA County Public Health advises avoiding ocean contact for 72 hours after rainfall.
Alamitos Bay and Naples (Long Beach)
Directions
Best for: families, relaxed paddling, canal sightseeing. Flat water.
Alamitos Bay is a sheltered bay in east Long Beach, wrapped around the three islands of Naples, a neighborhood of canals and waterfront homes. The City of Long Beach describes Mother’s Beach, just below Marine Stadium, as having consistently calm conditions, which makes it one of the gentlest places to paddle in LA County. From there you can paddle under the Appian Way and Second Street bridges and loop around Naples.
Where to launch: Mother’s Beach (5839 Appian Way) has a parking lot, restrooms with beach showers, a pier where you can tie up a kayak or paddle board, and a lifeguarded, shallow swim area (launch outside it). An on-site vendor offers storage for personal kayaks and paddle boards.
Rentals and lessons: The City of Long Beach’s Leeway Sailing and Aquatics Center (5437 East Ocean Boulevard) rents kayaks and stand up paddle boards and teaches classes on the bay. Classes need registering at least 48 hours ahead.
Good to know: The Naples canals are lined with private homes and docks. Keep your voice down, don’t land on private docks, and watch for Duffy boats and gondolas. For more launches around the bay and the Peninsula, see our full guide to where to paddle board in Long Beach.
Cabrillo Beach (San Pedro)
DirectionsBest for: harbor views and a quiet beach launch. Flat water inside the breakwater.
Cabrillo Beach has two sides: an ocean side that gets surf and a harbor side tucked inside the Port of Los Angeles breakwater, where the water is usually calm. The harbor side is the one for paddle boards.
Where to launch: The beach is at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, next to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. Hand-launch from the harbor-side sand, or use the launch ramp at the north end of the beach. Parking is paid.
What to watch for: This is one of the busiest ports in the country. Stay inside the breakwater near the beach, well away from shipping lanes, pilot boats and the harbor entrance at Angels Gate.
Good to know: The harbor-side beach has appeared on Heal the Bay’s “Beach Bummer” list of the state’s most polluted beaches in past years. Check the Beach Report Card first.
Castaic Lagoon
Directions
Best for: freshwater flat water and beginners. Flat water.
Castaic Lagoon is the smaller lake below Castaic Dam, in Castaic Lake State Recreation Area off Interstate 5 in the Santa Clarita Valley. Only non-powered boats are allowed on the lagoon, so you won’t deal with wakes. The big upper lake is open to motorboats.
Fees and hours: LA County Parks charges $15 per vehicle per day plus $9 per day to launch a non-motorized boat (or $105 a year). Regional parks are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Quagga mussels: Both Castaic Lake and the lagoon are infested. Entry inspections have stopped, but every vessel, paddle boards included, must be inspected when it leaves. Clean, drain and dry your board before you paddle anywhere else.
Good to know: The park’s campgrounds remain closed after damage in the Hughes fire. Summer days here are much hotter than at the coast, so go early.
When to go
You can paddle LA year-round. NOAA’s averages for Santa Monica put the ocean at about 58–59°F from December to February and about 68°F in August, its warmest month.
- Summer to early fall (July–October): warmest water and air. Harbors are busiest on weekends.
- Winter and spring: cooler water, and rain brings 72-hour water-contact advisories. You’ll want a wetsuit. Our wetsuit check uses water and air temperature to tell you what to wear.
- Time of day: mornings are usually calmest. The afternoon sea breeze builds most days and makes the paddle back harder.
Planning a lap of Marina del Rey or the Naples canals? Our Trip time calculator estimates how long it will take at your pace.
Rules and safety in Los Angeles
California treats a paddle board like any other human-powered vessel. According to the state’s Division of Boating and Waterways:
- Life jacket: every vessel must carry a US Coast Guard–approved life jacket for each person. Children under 13 must wear one while underway. See our pick of the best PFDs for SUP.
- Sound device: carry a whistle.
- After dark: you need a white light, such as a bright flashlight, ready to show in time to prevent a collision.
A few local rules and habits on top of that:
- Stay out of roped swim areas at Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey and Long Beach.
- Keep clear of boats in harbor channels. Big boats can’t stop or turn quickly for you.
- Wear a leash so wind can’t take your board across a harbor.
- Check water quality on Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card, and avoid the water for 72 hours after rain, as LA County Public Health advises.
- Exit inspections are mandatory at Castaic.
FAQ
Where can beginners paddle board in Los Angeles?
Marina del Rey’s Mother’s Beach and Long Beach’s Mother’s Beach on Alamitos Bay are the easiest. Both are calm, both have rentals nearby, and both have lifeguards in season.
Where can I rent a paddle board in LA?
Pro SUP Shop rents on Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey, Rocky Point Fun runs a valet launch in King Harbor, Redondo Beach, and Long Beach’s Leeway Sailing and Aquatics Center rents boards on Alamitos Bay.
Can you paddle board at Santa Monica?
You can, but Santa Monica is open ocean with surf, and the pier area has been near the top of Heal the Bay’s polluted-beach list. Beginners are better off in Marina del Rey, just south.
Do I need a permit to paddle board in Los Angeles?
Not in the harbors or the ocean. At Castaic Lagoon you pay a daily launch fee and vehicle fee, and your board must pass an exit inspection.
Is there anywhere similar nearby?
Heading south? See our guides to where to paddle board in Long Beach, where to paddle board in Newport Beach and where to paddle board in San Diego. Not sure what board to get? Our Board Fitter suggests a size and type for your weight and where you paddle.
