MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — There are so many beaches along Southern California’s coast.

Whether you like to play volleyball, explore or just hang out, there’s something for everyone. Spectrum News 1 visited Manhattan Beach at El Porto, which has been described as a zoo when the waves are really good. 

“Most Saturdays or Sundays and the dreaded Monday after a three-day holiday, it’s an absolute zoo,” said Ryan Harris, who has been surfing El Porto in Manhattan Beach for two decades. “Tensions are a little hot because people are bouncing off of each other.”

Harris explained how the size of the crowd has seriously grown during the pandemic, as more people have picked up trying to surf as a hobby. He says El Porto can be an OK spot to learn, but it really depends on the time of year. 

The sand at El Porto stretches between 38th Street in the south to 45th Street in the north bordered by the Chevron Refinery in El Segundo. The 34-acre area was annexed by Manhattan Beach in 1980. Before that time, the area established in the early 20th century remained a county island, meaning it was an unincorporated area surrounded by different cities.

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Watch the Spectrum News 1 special “Swell Beaches” at 9 p.m. on July 6 and 7 to find out what makes Southern California’s coast so special.