El Porto State Beach

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El Porto State Beach is a California beach located on Santa Monica Bay beside El Porto, which is now part of the City of Manhattan Beach, between the beaches of Dockweiler and Manhattan Beach, and is protected under the state park system.

The entrance to El Porto's large parking lot, which has meters, is at the west end of 45th Street from Highland Avenue. It is usually overrun by surfers until the afternoon.

El Porto is one of the most popular beaches in the South Bay area with surfers from near and far because of an underwater canyon that creates waves usually larger than those at neighboring beaches. These swells have lefts and rights that break over sandbars and are consistently big when other beaches are flat. The breaks can hold waves up to double overhead.

Although El Porto is very close to the Chevron oil refinery and the Hyperion Water Treatment Facility, it has some of the cleanest water in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Throughout the El Porto beach area are volleyball courts, a popular sport. Roller skates and bicycles are rented out at the snack bar for recreation along the bike trail. There are restrooms with showers located throughout; and lifeguards are on duty. No fires are permitted on the beach; dogs are not allowed.