Beaches? (San Diego, Orange, Santa Barbara: rent, dangerous, beach)

[janp]

My family would like to take a beach vacation next summer, somewhere in CA; however, I know nothing about CA beaches. We are used to the southeast coast (South Carolina, North Carolina, GA, FL) and Gulf Coast.

I would love a primer on what to expect on this side of the country...so any of the CA experts please chime in with your favorite beaches and places to visit. We are kind of leaning to the San Diego area, thinking the water would be warmer.

Thanks!
Jan

[sponger42]

California beaches are generally colder and more rugged than the East Coast. Anything north of Point Conception is downright chilly year-round and you can't really go in the water for any length of time without a wetsuit. That's pretty much true for all beaches except south of Orange County July through September.

The beaches in Southern California are very crowded during the summer and great for people-watching or beach sports. Parking close is a problem, but not if you're willing to pay 10-20 or walk a few blocks (or just get there early).

Central/Northern California beaches are very beautiful but tend to be windy and cold. If you don't mind not swimming, I'd head for the central coast and explore areas like Big Sur or Morrow Bay.

Surfing is good year-round, but is spot-and-weather specific. Waves during the summer are inconsistant and it may be flat. On the other hand, a large swell may be running and it might be too dangerous to go in the water if you are not an experienced surfer.

San Diego has many pretty beaches. They can be very busy. Torrey pines is a wide open sandy beach with easy access and parking. The nearby beach towns of Del Mar, Solana Beach, and Encinitas are all fun places to explore.

[nrvanagrl]

i would go to san diego. It's perfect for all things water such as kayaking, sailing, and surfing. They also have inexpensive bay cruises at night. I like mission beach but like the person above me said, you have to get there early or else there's no parking, or you could just rent a beach house. Also beautiful is De Anza Cove on the bayside. It's great for volleyball, bbq's, running, or inline skating.

ive been to several beaches near the LA area and although they are great for a day trip i believe San Diego is your best bet for a beach orientated vacation.

[janp]

Thanks so much, that was exactly the type of info I was looking to find out.

San Diego is sounding like what we want.

Jan

[LASam]

Yeah, San Diego is great for a family orientated vacation. You can also check out the San Diego Zoo and Seaworld with the kids. One of my favorite spots in San Diego are the coves in La Jolla.

[california_guy110]

Yes, San Diego is the beach vacation spot in SoCal during the summer, the water is warmer though its not as warm as you'd like, I still wear a wet suit when I surf to stay out longer. Anywhere else in SoCal should be ok as well, just San Diego is a very touristy place and really caters to tourism as its a large part of their economy. I would not recommend anywhere in northern California as the beaches there are always windy and just unpleasant in my opinion (I am from there) and not to mention that they have shark attacks just about every year.

[AA702]

Originally Posted by janp

My family would like to take a beach vacation next summer, somewhere in CA; however, I know nothing about CA beaches. We are used to the southeast coast (South Carolina, North Carolina, GA, FL) and Gulf Coast.

I would love a primer on what to expect on this side of the country...so any of the CA experts please chime in with your favorite beaches and places to visit. We are kind of leaning to the San Diego area, thinking the water would be warmer.

Thanks!
Jan

You might be a little dissapointed. Beaches in the Southeast, esp western florida has the nicest beaches IMHO. My favorite beach in Fl is Siesta Key in Sarasota..wow what a nice place that was! But I found a beach I liked in CA called Avila Beach by Pismo in Central CA. It has calm waters because its kinda sheltered and is not all that cold compared to nearby pismo. Nice area overall. Another nice beach is Stensin Beach in Marin County, very scenic with and very close to the Golden Gate Recreation Area.

[enlightenme]

I think San Diego would probably be the best for a vacation. There are some great, more private beaches between Ventura and Santa Barbara, but I think they are more the type you would want to go to as a local. San Diego also has a lot of other stuff to do with the zoo, sea world, etc. I just spent my first summer at a NC beach and it was 100% different than CA. We decided we liked NC better. We may have gotten lucky with the weather in July, but it would get cloudy, windy or rainy off and on the whole week we were there, but it never ruined our beach experience. That is one of the main differences we noticed. In CA, if it isn't perfect and sunny, the beach can be COLD and you wouldn't want to be there anymore. The water is cold and the air is cold if it is foggy. I think that is why San Diego would be better for a vacation. If the weather isn't beach perfect you can go enjoy other attractions without any humidity or rain like in the south. CA can get June gloom, so I would try more for July-August for nicer beach weather.

[california_guy110]

Yes, definitely right about California beaches not always being warm. I'm used to it though and like it sometimes, when you're surfing its cold anyways so it doesn't matter much if its cloudy or a little windy but as far as sitting on the beach its not always pleasant and the further north you go the worse it gets.

[Sambazon]

Originally Posted by LASam

Yeah, San Diego is great for a family orientated vacation. You can also check out the San Diego Zoo and Seaworld with the kids. One of my favorite spots in San Diego are the coves in La Jolla.

Great post. And La Jolla Cove also has snorkeling and kayaking.