Beaches in San Diego

[nikkistevej]

My family is going to San Diego for a few days in August for our first trip to California, we will be arriving in San Diego around 12:30, we need a game plan for that afternoon, was thinking of heading for one of the beaches near there. We will be heading to the zoo the day on Sunday. Any suggestions would be great.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

La jolla is beautiful, tide pools and you can see the seals and sea lions. But there are signs posted that the water has high bacterial counts so we only let the kids put their feet in and jump some waves. The high counts are probably because of the animal poop.

We also went to ocean beach, waves were really good, my kids loved it. The water is freezing so we got them rash guards before we went. They are cheap on amazon. My dd got stung by a jellyfish. If you like burgers eat at hodad's.

 

[nikkistevej]

La jolla is beautiful, tide pools and you can see the seals and sea lions. But there are signs posted that the water has high bacterial counts so we only let the kids put their feet in and jump some waves. The high counts are probably because of the animal poop.

We also went to ocean beach, waves were really good, my kids loved it. The water is freezing so we got them rash guards before we went. They are cheap on amazon. My dd got stung by a jellyfish. If you like burgers eat at hodad's.

Good to know, we were definitely gonna hit La Jolla on our way to Anaheim on that Monday. Will check out Ocean Beach.

 

[sonnyjane]

La jolla is beautiful, tide pools and you can see the seals and sea lions. But there are signs posted that the water has high bacterial counts so we only let the kids put their feet in and jump some waves. The high counts are probably because of the animal poop.

We also went to ocean beach, waves were really good, my kids loved it. The water is freezing so we got them rash guards before we went. They are cheap on amazon. My dd got stung by a jellyfish. If you like burgers eat at hodad's.

Good to know, we were definitely gonna hit La Jolla on our way to Anaheim on that Monday. Will check out Ocean Beach.

I second La Jolla for seeing tide pools and wildlife. Rash guards actually don't do anything to keep you warm, they are designed for, well, preventing a rash when you're paddling on a surf board But if you find the water too cold, tons of surf shops will rent you a shortie wetsuit for the day. August, however, will be pretty much one of your warmest months as far as surf temp goes, so you *should* be able to skip a wetsuit.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

I second La Jolla for seeing tide pools and wildlife. Rash guards actually don't do anything to keep you warm, they are designed for, well, preventing a rash when you're paddling on a surf board But if you find the water too cold, tons of surf shops will rent you a shortie wetsuit for the day. August, however, will be pretty much one of your warmest months as far as surf temp goes, so you *should* be able to skip a wetsuit.

Maybe it was physiological, they did feel warmer with them on. At least the SPF in them helped LOL. The water probably isn't that cold but to us it was freezing because we are used to FL water in June. There were tons of people in the water so we are just wimps .

 

[sonnyjane]

Maybe it was physiological, they did feel warmer with them on. At least the SPF in them helped LOL. The water probably isn't that cold but to us it was freezing because we are used to FL water in June. There were tons of people in the water so we are just wimps .

Ha! Yeah rash guards are just for a physical barrier between you and a surfboard. No warmer than swimming with a t-shirt on, although the placebo effect is a powerful thing

I feel you on being wimps! I spent almost a decade in Florida so even though I've been in San Diego for 5 years now, I still find the beach far too cold. I think I've only gone to the beach about 5 times and I've only gone swimming TWICE - once with a wetsuit and once without (guess how long that swim lasted?) Florida spoiled me in that regard!

 

[bjscheel]

We went to Mission Beach last month. I haven't been to the others, so I have no way to compare, but Mission Beach worked for us. (It was near our hotel.) We waded for a while, then the kids did put on their suits and jump in the waves some more. It was only 60's and cloudy but they did it! We sat and watched them and took in the scenery. Later we rented bikes and rode around the boardwalk and paths. We walked out on a rocky pier and saw a sea lion in the water.

 

[mom2aredhead]

We love Coronado

 

[hjgaus]

I second La Jolla for seeing tide pools and wildlife. Rash guards actually don't do anything to keep you warm, they are designed for, well, preventing a rash when you're paddling on a surf board But if you find the water too cold, tons of surf shops will rent you a shortie wetsuit for the day. August, however, will be pretty much one of your warmest months as far as surf temp goes, so you *should* be able to skip a wetsuit.

I third for La Jolla!! It's our second home away from home - timeshare out there!! We will be there next week!! Enjoy your time in San Diego!!!

 

[Cheshirecatty]

We usually stay right on Mission Beach, and it is lovely, but there are things we enjoy about Ocean Beach as well. We also like La Jolla, but it has been a few years since we've been there.

 

[momjeeps]

La Jolla is fantastic but expect traffic and parking challenges. But that goes for any decent weekend at the beach. If its a good weathered holiday weekend AVOID!!!

If you choose a coastal drive up the coast stop in Encinitas at Raul's Shack and get some Mexican food and then head to Moonlight beach to enjoy it. There are a few tables at Raul's outside and that's it. It's a little dive that you just grab your food at. The nachos are enough for a snack for an entire family. The carne asada burritos big enough to split for most. Great value for a family on a budget.