Regional Guide · 82 beaches
Pacific Ocean Beaches
Pacific coverage runs the full US West Coast — San Diego's warm-water beaches (La Jolla, Coronado, Pacific Beach), Orange County's legendary surf (Trestles, Huntington, Doheny), Los Angeles's iconic strands (Santa Monica, Venice, Zuma, Manhattan, Hermosa), Santa Barbara and the Central Coast (Pismo, Avila, Cayucos), the Bay Area (Stinson, Half Moon Bay, Ocean Beach SF), Oregon's rugged coast (Cannon Beach, Ecola, Newport), and Washington's Long Beach Peninsula and Olympic coast. Water runs cold north of Point Conception and rough year-round — the Pacific is a working ocean, not a wading pool.
Current Conditions
Average water temperature: 64°F
Across 82 monitored stations on the Pacific Ocean.
When to Go
Southern California: year-round, peak June–October. Central/Northern California: July–September for the warmest water (still chilly without a wetsuit). Oregon/Washington: late July through September for the warmest days, though the water rarely climbs out of the 50s.
Watch Out For
Rip currents are constant — only swim at lifeguarded beaches and obey flag warnings. Sneaker waves on the Oregon and Northern California coast are deadly; never turn your back on the ocean. Water is cold enough year-round that hypothermia is a real risk without a wetsuit north of Santa Barbara.
California · 51
All California beaches →Santa Cruz Main Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Capitola Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Leadbetter Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Avila Beach
Ideal for a beach walk.
Morro Bay (Morro Strand State Beach)
Ideal for photography.
Pismo Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Moonlight Beach (Encinitas)
Great day for a beach walk.
Carlsbad State Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
San Clemente State Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Doheny State Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Laguna Main Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Crystal Cove State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Newport Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Huntington Beach (Surf City USA)
Great day for a beach walk.
Bolsa Chica State Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Long Beach (Alamitos Beach)
Great day for a beach walk.
Venice Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Zuma Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
El Matador State Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Leo Carrillo State Park
Great day for a beach walk.
Pfeiffer Beach (Big Sur)
Great day for a beach walk.
Ocean Beach (San Diego)
Great day for a beach walk.
Cardiff State Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
San Onofre State Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Seal Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Will Rogers State Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Point Dume State Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Refugio State Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Natural Bridges State Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Carpinteria State Beach
Ideal for photography.
La Jolla Shores
Great day for photography.
Imperial Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
La Jolla Shores
Great day for photography.
Hermosa Beach
Ideal for photography.
Redondo Beach
Ideal for photography.
Oceanside Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Santa Monica State Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Baker Beach (San Francisco)
Great day for photography.
Stinson Beach
Great day for photography.
Glass Beach (Fort Bragg)
Great day for photography.
Half Moon Bay State Beach
Ideal for photography.
Ocean Beach (San Francisco)
Great day for photography.
Cayucos State Beach
Ideal for photography.
Pacifica State Beach
Great day for photography.
Monterey State Beach
Great day for photography.
Coronado Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Mission Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Pacific Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
Del Mar Beach
Great day for a beach walk.
La Jolla Cove
Great day for photography.
Carmel Beach
Ideal for photography.
Oregon · 17
All Oregon beaches →Pacific City Beach (Cape Kiwanda)
Great day for a beach walk.
Gold Beach (South Beach Park)
Great day for photography.
Harris Beach State Park
Ideal for photography.
Heceta Head Beach (Devils Elbow)
Ideal for photography.
Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park
Ideal for photography.
Cape Perpetua Scenic Area
Great day for photography.
Cannon Beach (Haystack Rock)
Ideal for photography.
Seaside Beach (Oregon)
Ideal for photography.
Ecola State Park
Ideal for photography.
Manzanita Beach
Ideal for photography.
Rockaway Beach
Ideal for photography.
Nehalem Bay State Park
Ideal for photography.
Cape Lookout State Park
Ideal for photography.
Hug Point State Recreation Site
Ideal for photography.
Yachats State Recreation Area
Ideal for photography.
Bandon Beach (Face Rock)
Great day for photography.
Nye Beach (Newport, OR)
Skip the beach today.
Washington · 14
All Washington beaches →Long Beach (Washington)
Great day for photography.
Cape Disappointment State Park
Great day for photography.
Third Beach (La Push)
Skip the beach today.
Shi Shi Beach
Skip the beach today.
Hobuck Beach
Skip the beach today.
Ocean Shores
Skip the beach today.
Pacific Beach State Park
Skip the beach today.
Kalaloch Beach
Skip the beach today.
Ruby Beach
Skip the beach today.
Rialto Beach
Skip the beach today.
First Beach (La Push)
Skip the beach today.
Second Beach (La Push)
Skip the beach today.
Westport Light State Park
Skip the beach today.
Twin Harbors State Park
Skip the beach today.