Winter Coats In San Diego (beach, island, places)

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

Man, this weather has been so volatile lately. It was just in the 80s/90s a couple days ago and now it's cool and breezy out. There's a chance of showers this weekend, followed by highs back in in the 70s after that. Not sure if I should be driving with my sun visor up or down or now these days. Oh the humanity!

We had a brief shower here in PQ, sometime after 7 PM.

[themudpuppy]

What's it like by the water in the daytime in early December? I was supposed to be in San Diego this past weekend but it didn't work out and now it looks like it'll be the first week of December before I get to go. The main purpose of the trip is to take my dog to Fiesta Island, which is supposed to be one of the best dog beaches in the country. Will it be too cold to get in the water by then? He loves cold weather but I don't want him to freeze in the water either.

[RD5050]

Originally Posted by themudpuppy

What's it like by the water in the daytime in early December? I was supposed to be in San Diego this past weekend but it didn't work out and now it looks like it'll be the first week of December before I get to go. The main purpose of the trip is to take my dog to Fiesta Island, which is supposed to be one of the best dog beaches in the country. Will it be too cold to get in the water by then? He loves cold weather but I don't want him to freeze in the water either.

The water should be fine for your dog. The coldest it will likely be is in the mid 50's.

And the air temperature in San Diego never gets real cold. It's usually warm during the daytime, even in the winter.

I highly recommend taking your dog to Dog Beach. Here are reviews:

Dog Beach - San Diego - Reviews of Dog Beach - TripAdvisor

Your dog will get to play in the sand and ocean with lots of other dogs.

Dog Beach is located on the north end of Ocean Beach.

[themudpuppy]

Thanks, RD5050. Do you like Dog Beach better than the dog beach at Fiesta Island?

I had picked Fiesta Island because I was told there is a bay area where the water is calmer than the ocean area. He doesn't swim and doesn't like waves, but he loves to go wading up to his belly in calm water. Also, I was told Fiesta Island has parking close by the dog area, and that parking could be a problem at the other dog beaches. He's an elderly dog who has trouble walking far, so I don't want to park too far. What's the parking like at Dog Beach?

This trip is kind of a "bucket list" thing for him. He has health issues and I don't think he'll be walking much longer, so I want to give him the time of his life with this trip, while he can still enjoy it.

[kettlepot]

Parking at the other Dog Beaches will be fine during the non-summer months. Don't sweat it. At Ocean Beach, the walk from the parking lot to the water's edge probably wasn't more than 100 yards.

The cold ocean water may be an issue for your dog. Personally, I wouldn't go wading into sub-60 degree water, but maybe your dog has better cold tolerance. But if you go on a sunny warmer day, maybe that won't matter. I'm not sure how much warmer the Mission Bay water will be.

Ocean Beach will have waves so that may bother your dog. However, the dogs I saw seemed to enjoy the waves and they appeared to contribute to their all having a happy time. So if the other dogs having a happy time will make your dog have a happy time, then that may make Ocean Beach a better choice.

If you can carry your dog, you may want to check out Sunset Cliffs. If you can carry him down to the ocean/rocks interface, your dog could stick his nose in to water filled crevices and sniff out the little sand crabs. You and he could sit awhile and watch the waves hit the shore without actually being in the surf.

[WeakandDizzy]

Originally Posted by Stoney.

Every winter in San Diego we usually get one or two cold snaps with "frost warnings" where temps in the inland valleys get down to near freezing- low to mid 30's. I don't care where you're from but I'd say that calls for a coat/jacket of some type.

If it does not warm up in a few hours yes.... if it warms up during the day no... cold is when the snot freezes in your nose when you walk out the door. I am a native Californian, who has lived in Coastal California, Central Valley, the Midwest, and the Southeast. I would call most Coastal Californians winter wimps, sorry...

[RD5050]

Originally Posted by themudpuppy

Thanks, RD5050. Do you like Dog Beach better than the dog beach at Fiesta Island?

I don't own a dog, but I've watched dogs play together at Dog Beach. It looks like a lot of fun for the dogs.

There are lots of reviews of Fiesta Island here on Yelp:

Fiesta Island - San Diego, CA

These dog owners probably can give you much better advice than I could.

[themudpuppy]

Thanks, kettlepot and RD5050. I appreciate the information. Sunset Cliffs sounds wonderful, but my dog is too heavy to carry (72 lbs). He would love to sniff out the sand crabs. When we were in Florida he had so much fun with the little crabs!

[Walkthetalk]

It can get pretty chilly here at night, at around 50 degrees. I've put the heat on and would definitely wear my winter coat.

[Luvs2Trvl]

Fiesta Island has some pros and cons for Dogs. It's great beacuse it's totally free to get into and park at. They have a huge fenced in area for the dogs (acres and acres) to roam but it's mostly dirt and there are weeds with spurs which can easily attach to their coats/skin/paws. The water is calmer but also not as clear, kind of murky. I would say the best reason to visit is the ample space and peace of mind that they are pretty safe from vehicles.

The dog beach in Del Mar has free parking (mostly across the street, just north of 28th street on the east side of the road) and has two sides you can take your dogs to. It's an easy walk across the street to the beach side. I actually prefer the left side/south (less people/dogs than the right side with the lifeguard towers and volleyball nets) since it seems to be less open to traffic (with a small entryway down to the beach) so I worry a lot less about my dog being around any cars. During the winter months (and provided the tide is low enough) you can walk around the corner and head south on the beach which backs to houses, protected from the street. The water is much nicer and along the beach/houses your dog will have plenty of space to run or walk while dipping their paws in the water.

Personally I would probably head to the dog beach over Fiesta Island, your doggie will love it.