Windansea Beach
San Diego, California
With 17 miles (27 kilometers of coastline, San Diego has no shortage of beaches, but they each have their own character and attributes, making it hard for visitors to choose. Windansea Beach, located north of the city center, is one of the city’s top beaches for surfing.
Windansea’s location in the upscale community of La Jolla, about 20 minutes north of downtown, means it’s not as popular with visitors as the more centrally located Mission, Ocean, and Coronado beaches, but it is well known to locals, who flock here to surf, watch surfers, or enjoy the sunset. San Diego beach tours and La Jolla bike and Segway tours provide opportunities to visit Windansea Beach. Even if you have no interest in surfing, Windansea is a picturesque spot to admire the California coast, backed by the expensive homes of La Jolla.
- A staircase built into the bluff allows you to get from the street down to the beach so you don’t have to scramble over rocks.
- Due to the way the surf breaks, swimming is not recommended unless you are a strong swimmer.
- Street parking is available.
Windansea Beach is 13 miles (21 kilometers) northwest of downtown San Diego via Interstate 5.
If you’re going to surf or watch surfers, timing depends on the swell each day, but morning and right before dusk are often good times. Photographers and romantics won’t want to miss the sun setting into the Pacific.
Just up the shore from Windansea Beach, the La Jolla Tide Pools is a rocky beach where, at low tide, you can find crabs and other marine life in the pools of water. It’s a great activity for youngsters.
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