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This beautiful county beach is connected to Westward Beach that is connected to Point Dume State Beach. It is a three-in-one prize that gets lumped under one name -- Zuma. Ask Southern California residents what their favorite beaches are, and Zuma will be ranked among the best. Certainly it is one of Los Angeles County's largest, and some say it is one of the finest white sand strands in California.

The Zuma portion is more than two miles long and in summer it can be busy with hard bodies. The teen-age hangout has been near lifeguard towers 6 and 7. Some space at the end of the ample parking lot is shared with the Malibu Yacht Club. Members keep their small sailboats beached and hold occasional races and regattas from there. Zuma has been an occasional shooting location for movies and commercials, notable for its rocky bluff backdrop close to the water. The bluff also gets some use by rock climbers.

Zuma has an undeserved reputation for big, rough surf. People in wetsuits will argue that the surf shape is unpredictable because the ocean bottom contour is inconsistent. But don't take that as notice to stash the board. Because the beach faces southwest, surfing conditions depend some on the season. The surf gets steeper and more tubular along Westward, starting about a half-mile southeast of Zuma. Bodysurfers do better than boards at Westward but it is no place for the inexperienced.

The Point Dume part of this stretch is one mile long, run by the state and does not get as much use. The point itself is quite rocky and difficult to hike around at water level, even at the lowest tide. Better to follow the trail up from Westward Beach to the bluff top and across the plateau, which is a natural preserve for native plants. It descends a stairway on the eastern side to a sandy and little-used area that has been known as a nude beach -- unofficially, of course. -- Los Angeles Times

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Zuma Surf Spot

Pronounced ''Zoo-ma,'' Zuma Beach isn't as crowded as the name implies. Zuma is a long, long beach break that is good up to 6 feet and is sometimes brutally hollow. Milder sandbars exist, but in general, plan on pulling into death pits with little hope of coming out.

Zuma is best on a wind swell when the impossibly long walls become segmented into short, punchy sections. Try late spring days before the predominant northwest winds blow it out. It breaks summer and winter but the former can be crowded and the infamous black ball goes up daily, meaning no surfing. Aside from a wind swell, your best bet for catching Zuma is early fall when south and northwest swells cross to create wedging peaks. Also, sandbars seem to set up best on the north end of the beach rather than the south.

To get there, take Pacific Coast Highway north from Santa Monica past Malibu. Turn left on Westward Beach Road. Either park in the county parking lot at the end of Westward Beach Road or somewhere to the north along PCH.

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