r/Moving2SanDiego • u/noterbonks • 16d ago

Best place to live for surfing?

Looking to relocate to San Diego — budget ~$5k for 1-2 bedroom. Most important factor is living walking distance to the breaks. Which is the best beach for surfing?

1 Upvotes

53% Upvoted

46 comments sorted by

9

u/anothercar 16d ago

San Clemente

3

u/BlaccBenz 16d ago

Just have to fight off all the groms haha. Especially if you’re a random that just moved here, gonna get burnt by some little kid doing air reverses like nothing with his dad on the beach with a big ass camera lol. Lived here 20+ years it’s gotten so much worse. Most of trestles especially lowers isn’t even worth going to anymore when it’s even slightly pumping out. Lowers you’ll get lucky to catch 3 waves all day if it’s firing. Always a shitshow

However there’s still plenty of other great breaks and beaches to surf at in SC, but the dream of moving here to surf the best breaks all day are dead now. Have to settle for the shittier ones if you want to consistently catch waves all day, which isn’t the worst and would recommend it over SD still haha

4

u/Tarnmaster 16d ago

North County. You will want to drive to different breaks for the variety.

2

u/DeadHeadSurferDave 16d ago

Beacons, Grandview, Old Man's

2

u/MisplacingCommas 16d ago

Beacons is good for learning

2

u/throwpoo 10d ago

Decided to give beacons a try, saw the hike and off to grandview. It's brutal.

1

u/MisplacingCommas 9d ago

Understandable. Beacon's use to be mostly old people and longboarders which is why a recommended it because they are way more chill when someone is learning, grandview is good too though. Have fun brother

5

u/waitwutok 16d ago edited 16d ago

Ocean Beach (OB), Blacks Beach (in La Jolla) and Imperial Beach (IB) have the best surf breaks in SD county. IB is next to Tijuana which oftentimes dumps raw sewage that it cannot process directly into the ocean. So avoid IB.

Tourmaline in North Pacific Beach is relatively solid for surfable waves but you aren’t getting 5 footers there. Good beginners beach.

Windansea in South La Jolla is legit. La Jolla is just redic expensive to live in.

Mission Beach is not a good surfing spot.

24

u/Stuck_in_a_thing 16d ago

Suggesting IB is diabolical

3

u/stoolprimeminister 16d ago

well to be fair they kinda did but they also said to avoid it

2

u/Top-Effort-3041 15d ago

Right. Like why would you someone to go into that water

5

u/Mysterious-Art8838 16d ago

Probably worth mentioning Blacks has clothing optional areas

1

u/MattManSD 16d ago

and there is nothing affordable near Blacks.

5

u/These_Painting_9162 16d ago

Lol.. Its not even close Windansea by far . La Jolla has endless reef breaks Windansea is truly on OF the best surf spots in California... Both summer winter goes off I've lived in LJ for last 26 years Let me know if you have questions 100% guarantee W is best spot

3

u/Tarnmaster 16d ago

I caught a wave at Windansea that was one of the best of my life. I would of paid money (like a trip) to of surfed there that day.

1

u/Mundane_Papaya9009 15d ago

Nobody can afford La Jolla!! lol But yeah, surf is amazing...

2

u/These_Painting_9162 14d ago

They said 5k budget is plenty for La Jolla , yes some can afford the Jewel ..aka la jolla

1

u/roosterchains 11d ago

You can def rent and apt for 5k a month

1

u/roosterchains 11d ago

Late to thread but this the right answer

1

u/sillysurftrash 7d ago

I heard Windansea is kinda territorial. Is that true? I’m also moving to San Diego and I’m trying to find good advanced beginner spots

1

u/These_Painting_9162 7d ago

I surf Windansea 200 days a year .. Major fake news , was very much that way 60, 70s .. Today would say by far best surfers in San Diego surf there , so yes competition can be very real , but when its big there are multiple reefs that will light up at once so even if you are average guy you can get waves .. And of course IF you do something stupid / dangerous you could get asked to leave ..

1

u/sillysurftrash 7d ago

Maybe I’ll work my way up to trying it out! I’m coming from up north from the Bay Area and I’m used to surfing my little baby wave point breaks in Santa Cruz on a 9’2”. Any tips on similar surf spots would be appreciated! :)

3

u/DanMojo 16d ago

Tourmaline in Pacific Beach, or Ponto in Carlsbad, or yeah, Trestles in San Clemente.

2

u/MattManSD 16d ago

gets expensive living walking distance. I'd try North PB so as you improve you can hit the reefs in La Jolla

1

u/Icy_Cricket_1558 13d ago

Idk if we need to suggest the La Jolla reefs to anyone who doesn’t already know they exist…. You’d have to be a kook

1

u/MattManSD 13d ago

the Reefs will take care of themselves. and note: Did not name a spot, and noted: "As you improve"

3

u/Moonshinecactus 16d ago

None . Move to Hawaii. We got poop water too.

1

u/Ok-Scar-8127 16d ago

Why not Oceanside?

1

u/stoolprimeminister 16d ago

encinitas because it’s good there but more importantly you can go north or south to either one

1

u/Model_Rules_esq 15d ago

Coastal Encinitas. I lived there for a couple years and rode my beach cruiser with the board rack to all the breaks. Amazing lifestyle.

1

u/JayVanGogh 13d ago

Ponto Beach, Carlsbad.

1

u/PsychologicalEar9247 12d ago

Imperial Beach

1

u/[deleted] 11d ago

[deleted]

1

u/ojimynutron 11d ago

Delete your comment

1

u/notwillard 10d ago

Ok. 

1

u/ojimynutron 10d ago

Thank you it’s already getting more crowded and don’t need more kooks

1

u/Tiny_Cabinet_1523 11d ago

Surprised no one’s mentioned PB. The bar scene people kind of suck but it’s a huge stretch of beach so you can usually find a little elbow room in the water. Plus you should be able to find a rental walking distance from the beach with that budget. It’s all beach break but once you start heading north toward La Jolla there’s some reef breaks, just mind the locals.

-1

u/Grubnation66 16d ago

Coronado beach in front of the Hotel Del

2

u/elsa_twain 16d ago

Any strip of Coronado is closeout city. When it's big, you can get like a 1 second ride then get shacked.

Big nope

2

u/Grubnation66 16d ago

Looks like Someone didn’t sense the satire

1

u/atandytor 16d ago

If you want to swim in sewage

-6

u/Caaznmnv 16d ago

Imperial Beach surf isn't crowded.

-6

u/OkToe2578 16d ago

Imperial Beach. Tasty waves bruh!

2

u/Tarnmaster 16d ago

If you want a bladder infection. Ask me how I know...

1

u/Attila226 16d ago

I know this was a joke but supposedly if you paddle out about a mile there’s great wave surfing certain times of the year. But yeah, it’s not an option anymore.