The Beaches of San Diego CA
The beaches of San Diego county are special, from Carlsbad at the north to the US/Mexico border south. If surfing is your thing, there are lots of great waves. If you just love beaches, you will find many excellent options.
Best Beaches of San Diego
La Jolla is a beautiful spot where jagged rocks and cliffs meet the sea. Seals bask in the sun surrounded by a variety of seabird’s. There are reefs for scuba diving and amazing view points. There is also a family-friendly protected beach for safe swimming. Luxury hotels, galleries, shops and restaurants are just across the street from the cliffs. Head south from there, and you will arrive at one of my personal favorite spots called Wind and Sea.
Sunset Cliffs is a particularly nice spot where the cliffs meet the sea. Rocky reefs extend far out below the surface making this area a magnet for surfers during big swells. It’s an amazing place to watch the sunset.
If you’re into volleyball, roller blading or an action-filled beach scene with lots of people, Mission Beach and Pacific Beach are where you probably want to go. This is the area where students from UCSD and SDSU often live. So, hot bods are plentiful. Pacific Beach has a wide array of shops, restaurants and other services.
La Jolla Shores is also pretty crowded but less chaotic than Mission and Pacific. It tends to attract more laid back beach goers. Then there’s Blacks Beach which is accessible only to those who are willing to hike down steep trails along a cliff. The surf is world class down there, but the walk back up is a doozy after a surf session. There was a time when Blacks was a nude beach. You might encounter some nudity still, but this is no longer common.
Del Mar
One of my personal favorite coastal zones is the Del Mar area with its long stretches of sandy beaches. You can always find a good spot there. You won’t be alone, but you will not be crowded in with others. Plus, the surf is usually safe for families with the bigger waves for surfing breaking further out. At higher tides, with smaller waves, buildings sand castles is a dream come true.
Moving north from there you find one nice beach after another. There’s Solana Beach, where people bring their dogs and Cardiff by the Sea, a relaxed area with surf shops, coffee shops and restaurants. “Swamis” is a beautiful and spiritual spot where the guru Paramahansa Yogananda created his self realization fellowship temple.
The excellent selection of beaches continues north through Moonlight Beach in Encinitas all the way to Carlsbad. You honestly can’t go wrong with wherever you go. If you can get to only one spot however, I say make it Wind and Sea in La Jolla.
