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Not to be confused with its northern franchise, this small stretch of sand's most elemental physical trait is its location at the end of the Interstate 8. This is where anyone aimlessly heading west will end up, so the beach gets all kinds. It also receives all kinds of swell, and often offers ridable waves when the rest of central San Diego is dry. The town itself is a bastion of liberalism, while the rest of San Diego is, well, also dry. It's the hippiest, if not hippest, San Diego beach community.
On the north end, Big Jetty is a hollow right breaking off of the southern jetty of the Mission Bay entrance. It begins with a steep peak and a small takeoff zone, but then elongates into a long, fast right wall. It sections depending on the sandbar and swell direction. Both sets and insiders are similarly shaped, and the break, although preferring a mid- to low tide, will break well on just about any tide. Closeouts are the rule with swell pushing 8 feet plus. The thing to consider here is the San Diego River. Closures are frequent due to runoff from storm events and sewage spills, and signage warning of pollution has been permanently established here. Many local surfers have gotten sick after surfing the jetty. Worse still is the fact that the jetty breaks directly in front of Dog Beach, the only area beach where dogs are allowed to run free, which means there are more land mines in the sand here than in all of Cambodia.
Avalanche is a predominately left peak that breaks just north of the finger, or little, jetty bisecting Ocean Beach. It's consistent, and breaks on a variety of tides and just about any swell with a little west in it. Various peaks form just north of the main peak, holding both rights and lefts. This section of the beach is blackballed during summer months from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. During after-work sessions in summer, it's possible to see more neoprene out there than water -- i.e., it's crowded.
The Ocean Beach Pier at the end of Newport Street is the most accessible spot in an area of accessible spots. Both right and left peaks, it's temperamental, shifty, unpredictable, perennially surfed and most often mediocre. This is not to say that it doesn't have its good days. When it is working well, usually it's the right peeling into the pier that is the main attraction. There's a mushy, rock-and-sand left on the south side of the pier that often shoots surfers through the pier's pylons at a snail's pace. Local lore says that this left was a solid reef/sand break before the construction of the pier in 1962, but nowadays one can only stand on the pier and imagine its former glory. Like other local spots, the breaks around the pier are happiest on a low to mid-tide, a swell with a little west in the mix and light wind.
-- kimball taylor
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mid
W, NW, SW
3 to 6 feet
E
1 to 6
sand
beginner to advanced
shortboard, longboard, hybrid
fall, winter, spring, or a big SW in summer
Easy -- enter the parking lot at the end of Voltaire Street, or park by
the pier at the end of Newport Street.
packed in summer
stuffy
3
5; 10 if the San Diego River is flowing
getting sick from the runoff
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With the atmosphere of a truck stop, the Old Townhouse Restaurant (619-222-1880), at 4941 Newport Ave., is a local breakfast favorite. For a very vegan lunch, check out The Juice Bar (619-226-1278) at 5001 A Newport. Pick up a wheatgrass shooter, a $1.50 tempeh taco and wish them a Jerry Christmas and a happy Bob Weir. Meat eaters can choke down a good sub just down the block at Poma's, 846 Bacon St. (619-223-3027). Over the hill in Shelter Island, Point Loma Seafoods offers a view of the marina and the SD skyline, and serves up a mean $5.50 squid sandwich (2805 Emerson St.; 619-223-1109)
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There is a backpacker's hostel at 4961 Newport Ave. offering dorm-style rooms from $15 to $19 -- proof of international travel is required (800-339-7263). In Point Loma, at 3790 Udall St., Hostelling International's Elliott location offers bed space from $14 to $17, with no international passport required. An army of hotel chains, with rooms lacking that funky beach flavor, can be found a couple of miles inland (east on the Interstate 8) at the appropriately named Hotel Circle.
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Ocean Beach is home to a beautiful new, city-run skateboard park at Robb Field -- in fact, it's the first thing you'll see as you are coming into town. It's open everyday, costs five bucks a day or $30 per year, and pads are required. Also at Robb Field are public tennis courts, soccer fields, football fields and baseball diamonds. Just over the point in Shelter Island is a large collection of deep-sea fishing outfits that run from summer through fall; this requires a bit of planning because most runs leave at night and last longer than 24 hours. Whale-watching tours launch out of Shelter Island in spring. At the end of Catalina Boulevard is the small, but stately, Cabrillo National Monument. From the lighthouse here, you can see all of San Diego Bay, the submarine base, downtown SD, Mexico and the vast Pacific. This is also a great place to watch for whales (March), and there is easy access to tide pools at the end of the point. To see marine life in captivity, the overpriced and overrated Sea World is within spitting distance of Ocean Beach. Free Willy.
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Greenroom Boards and Supplies, 1963 Abbott, 619-226-1311
Ocean Beach Surf Shop, 4885 Newport Ave., 619-225-0676
Point Loma Surf Shop, 4230 Voltaire, 619-222-2647
Pride Surf Skate and Snow, 5035 Newport Ave., 619-222-1575
Rocky's Surf Shop, 2175 Abbott St., 619-223-4460
South Coast Surf Shop, 5023 Newport Ave., 619-223-7017
South Coast Longboards, 5037 Newport Ave., 619-223-8808
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