El Porto Beach is a beach in Los Angeles County, California. The nearest town is El Segundo, about 1.7 km (1.1 mi) away (El Porto Beach lies SSW of town).
El Porto Beach is a California public beach managed by the County of Los Angeles, located in Santa Monica Bay beside El Porto, which is now part of the City of Manhattan Beach, between the beaches of El Segundo Beach 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. 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. El Porto is very close to the Chevron oil refinery and a private corporate electricity-producing facility for Edison that uses...From the Wikipedia article “El Porto Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At El Porto Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:58 AM | 90° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:44 AM | 61° ENE | 8:09 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:43 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:56 AM | 118° ESE | 4:49 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 54m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Beaches facing east suit sunrise and west-facing beaches suit sunset; wet sand mirrors the sky color during golden hour.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:32 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:35 PM | 10h 09m |
| February | 6:14 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:14 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 59m |
| March | 6:40 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:57 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:51 PM | 13h 02m |
| May | 5:26 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 55m |
| June | 5:14 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 24m |
| July | 5:26 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 12m |
| August | 5:50 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 26m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:27 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:34 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:00 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:03 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:18 PM | 10h 25m |
| December | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 55m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From El Porto Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 8 (city sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:32 AM – 5:12 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:45 AM – 5:35 AM | 1.8 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:43 AM – 4:53 AM | 3.2 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 11:46 PM – 4:06 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:52 PM – 3:52 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:48 PM – 2:28 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:13 PM – 12:23 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:26 PM – 10:26 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:44 PM – 8:24 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 8 Bortle 8 — City sky. Only bright constellations are visible; the sky glows orange or white. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.06 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 48% average cloud cover) and June as the cloudiest (68%). September is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 74 | 74 | 74 | 78 | 76 | 77 | 80 | 76 | 84 | 87 | 78 | 74 |
| Low °F | 49 | 49 | 48 | 49 | 53 | 54 | 57 | 58 | 58 | 57 | 52 | 49 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 2.6 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this beach
- Watch for sneaker waves; never turn your back on the ocean on exposed coasts.
- Salt spray coats lenses quickly; wipe often and rinse gear afterward.
- Fog and marine layers can make minimalist images; don't give up on grey days.
- Time visits around low tide to reveal tide pools, sea stacks and reflective sand — check the tide widget below.
- Slow shutter speeds (0.5–2 s) turn receding waves into streaks that lead toward the horizon.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Winter storms bring dramatic surf on Pacific coasts; summer and autumn sunsets are popular on Atlantic and Gulf beaches.
Suggested gear: Tripod, ND filters, Rain cover, Lens cloths. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Tides
The nearest NOAA tide prediction station is El Segundo, Santa Monica Bay, 993 m away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of El Porto Beach, closest first.
State Park
Beach
Canyon
State ParkBeach
State Park
Botanical Garden
Canyon
Botanical GardenFAQ
When is the best time to photograph El Porto Beach?
What time is golden hour at El Porto Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at El Porto Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from El Porto Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at El Porto Beach?
How far is El Porto Beach from El Segundo?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.