SeeCalifornia.com

Pictured is Long Beach Peninsula beach overlooking Naples Island

California’s good at breaking records. This year we’ve had the driest winter to date, temperatures hot enough to beat past records for the month of January, and assurances in Southern California that there’s enough water to take most cities into 2015 without tapping into reserves. Add to that the latest news that Fukushima radiation isn’t a threat to our Pacific Coast, and our beaches have scored the cleanest water this past year that anyone can remember. Beach pollution typically comes in the winter months after rain– we’ve had so little rain and our beaches have been the better for it.  What this all means is it’s TIME FOR THE BEACH! 

The scene these days is serene. Warm, dry, pleasant air, few if any bugs in the sand, ample parking spots, no crowds and perfect weather. While the ocean temperatures are around 10 degrees cooler now than they will be at their peak in July-August when they hit around 75-76, most people don’t actually go into the water when they head for the beach, anyway.  We’ve been surveying the beach scene and can tell you that all the beaches are wide open currently for sunbathing and relaxing.  The most condensed beaches  this week have been Santa Monica, Ocean Beach & Pacific Beach in San Diego and Laguna Beach in Orange County.  Condensed at this time of year means the beaches are not isolated–they have visitors, but they are not crowded at all. Some gems you may want to check out: Corona del Mar State Beach, Coronado City Beach and Manhattan Beach. Further north, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Pismo Beach all make great vacation getaways for winter beach stays. Enjoy!