El Porto

El Porto is located at the end of 45th street in Manhattan Beach. If you can deal with the crowds (both in the water and in looking for parking), then it's not a bad place to go.

It definitely picks up a lot more swell than most places in the South Bay, and can hold anything from ankle high dribblers to double overhead. I wouldn't recommend going here to surf on a weekend, especially in the summer when lots of beginners are busting out their surf boards for the first time in months.

Better surf, less crowded (but still crowded), in the Fall/Winter and early morning.

People can be ruder and more aggressive here (probably due to the crowds -- notice a theme? :)), but just be respectful, don't drop in, and you should be fine.

I don't know if it's just me, or if it's just coincidence, but I've gotten sick a few times after surfing here. Water health reports are usually good, but it seems like there is something odd in the water here...