I'm going to San Diego in January and have never been before. I bodyboard so I was gonna bring my boards but I don't know where to go. I figured I'd make a trip to the wedge if it was going off or something. any ideas? also good places to eat, see, visit let me know. Thanks!!
San Diego For boogie boarding, your best bet is probably Ocean Beach or Oceanside if the surf is average. If the surf is good, head to Windansea, Marine Street or Horseshoe. Marine St. is a good shorebreak, Windansea is a reef with good shorebreak, and Horseshoe is kind of a small Teahupoo clone when it's working correctly (i.e., you might eat reef). Oh, and Imperial Beach gets really good and hollow and there's a decent Sponge crew....but the winter storms bring pollution from Tijuana occasionally. There's lots of other breaks in SD, but most aren't very Boogie friendly. The Wedge is about 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive from SD. WARNING: it ain't OCMD. If you're not very experienced, it might be better to watch from the beach.
I would definitely walk around Ocean Beach... lots of interesting people watching in that town... Just go to Newport Ave and take a walk from there. They got a really great burger joint called Hodad's, and quite a few bars with outside patios along the street there. If you are going with your chick, take a ride south from Ocean Beach and check out Sunset Cliffs during a sunset. Pretty sick place. hell, I would go there by myself just to check it out. That place gets some really good surf too, so maybe give that a check. If you are looking to go out at night, check out Pacific Beach... all the bars and girls you could ask for. Hit up PB Bar & Grill for taco tuesday, but if you go to Club Tremors in the back you are lame.
You can rent boards from just about any surf shop on any beach in SD. Ocean Beach (OB) has lots of board shops that rents boards. Check out Sunset Cliffs ("The Cliffs"), it is indeed awesome....the reef breaks and expensive homes are worth the price of admission. BUT....you will NOT be welcome as a sponger or beginning surfer at ANY spot at the Cliffs, and will be harassed without exception. I gave you a list of breaks that are very good for sponging, and spongers are "generally" welcome there. Sunset Cliffs does NOT make the "sponger-friendly" list. Make sure you try any of the Roberto's taco stands, and order the Carne Asada burrito. You will never want to go home. Also, make sure you try the Especial de San Diego....the Fish Taco. It sounds gross, but 2 million people can't be wrong. If you got the $$$, stay in Old Town. It's a 5 minute drive to all the city beaches and the best attractions, and it is THEE place to be on the weekends if you like good food and drink. Feel free to PM me with any other questions you might have. I speak from 30 years experience of living and surfing SD.
Plenty of fun to be had at Windansea and Horseshoe. Southside of the Windansea bay is another good spot, Big Rock, a shallow dredging left. To the north in San Diego county is one of my other favorite spots, Seaside Reef (south end of large cove known for the Cardiff Reef on the north end). Plenty of spots along La Jolla Shores, the pier and Blacks. Many of the breaks in SoCal are unofficially segregated by board types -- it helps to know somebody to break into the cliques, e.g., The Cliffs. One of the locals out there should be stepping forward as your "sponsor."
+1 on Big Rock. Sponges "generally" welcome, but usually get the standup's scraps. Usually about 20 people competing in a takeoff zone that accommodates 2 people. Another reef eating scenario....super steep and shallow. Please note that when I say "generally welcome", it doesn't mean that the lineup is waiting with a lei as you paddle out. It only means that surfers and spongers have a tense coexistence. Marine St. is really the only true sponge spot. Imperial Beach (IB) is also very good for sponging, and the crew is mellow. IB is similar to OCMD, kinda like 56th St. on steroids. DISCLAIMER: I'm not a sponger, just trying to hook up a Right Coaster.
Hehe, holla at me a week or so before you come out. The surf should be nice and big in January. The spot in the pic in my Avitar is actually one of those "Bodyboarding" spots, although when its firing, the standups take over. But I know of quite a few streches of beach where laydowns and standups can live in harmony. But like others said, if you are more on the beginner side, you should not be at these spots. They are slab reefs that hollow out and dump into very shallow water. If you are more at the intermediate level, you can just come down to Ocean Beach and surf with me there. I surf the pier a lot in OB, and right to the north side, there is a few peaks that are sponge and swim only. So, you can line up right on the edge of the surfers and have TONS of waves to yourself. Otherwise, we can surf up between Avalanche and the Big Jetty, that whole stretch is kind of surf/sponge through the winter... The waves in OB offer plenty of action, really fun waves, always size in January, but again, assess your skill level, and if you are not pulling into big empty tubes on the biggest days back in OC MD, you have no business at the Wedge, Windansea or any of the above mentioned.... Anyway, those are some tips, but closer to your trip, you should just PM me and see whats up. I live in OB and work in La Jolla, so I usually surf all up and down that 8 mile stretch... I will say, I havent sponged since like 1992, but I can at least take you out to some places and prtect you from the stink eye. As long as you arent a goober =)
