Ocean Beach California is a beach city just outside of San Diego that is home to golden sunsets and hippie culture. Think of it as the Haight-Ashbury of Southern California. If you want some good vibes and fun in the sun, then check out our guide to Ocean Beach.
We say that the beaches North to South in San Diego are similar to Los Angeles with La Jolla being akin to Malibu. Pacific Beach, with Crystal Pier and Belmont Park, are the southern mirror of Santa Monica and its namesake pier. Then, there are Venice and Ocean Beaches. Both beautiful and just a little weird. Ironically, Ocean Beach was originally named Mussel Beach when it was first established. That’s mussels, a mollusk, and not the beefcakes pumping iron in off the Venice boardwalk.
Festivals and Music of Ocean Beach
If you want to see San Diego’s Grateful Dead cover band, just come to Winston’s every Monday night to check out the Electric Waste Band. Every Wednesday, there is the Farmer’s Market on the main drag off Newport Avenue between Cable and Bacon streets. O.B. also puts on the OB Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off in the summer, Fourth of July Fireworks over the pier, and Oktoberfest in the fall (all of these usually include more chances to see the Electric Waste Band live). April 20th is usually special in OB too, but the Ocean Beach Main Street Association doesn’t promote that. This was the town that played Rocky Horror Picture Show in San Diego every Friday and Saturday at midnight until the 1980s. It’s that kind of place.
Beaches of Ocean Beach and Ocean Beach Pier
Ocean Beach starts just south of the San Diego River. Along the river is Robb Field, where there are an aggressive skate park and local softball games. 100 years ago, this was the site of the Wonderland Amusement Park, but now it’s just a local playground. The river hits the ocean at Dog Beach, where your pups can play in the sand off leash. South of Dog Beach is the Ocean Beach Pier, where you can fish without a license or watch the surfers. There is also a claim that the first surfing in San Diego was done in Ocean Beach in 1916 when a lifeguard borrowed a surfboard from Duke Kahanamoku himself.
Photography at Sunset Cliffs
South of the OB Pier is Sunset Cliffs, one of the most photogenic sunset spots in all of San Diego. Between the cliffs, surf and sun, the photo opportunities are only limited by your imagination. In the photos, you’ll see our photo tour of a fabulous sunset on a high wave/ high tide day. The daytime blue fade to an orangey red sunset, and then the purples return once the sun drops over the horizon. Long story short, red is a short wavelength and purple is a long wavelength of light. The short wavelengths of light get scattered by the clouds and haze at sunset which creates which causes the orange, and red pallet. Once the sun sets over the horizon, only the longer purple wavelengths are able to bend around the curvature of the Earth.
That day, we followed the Sunset Cliff Trail down the coast until it ended at Point Loma and the Nazarene College. We annotated our journey in the hover text of the photos if you want to follow along. We promise there is more guide coming after the sunset photography.
Ocean Beach Eats
The foodie scene is alive and well in Ocean Beach. On the high end is BO-beau Kitchen located near Robb Field. Owned by the local Cohn’s Restaurant Group, they offer French comfort cuisine. It’s a great place for a burger or their Tuesday date night (a staple of all Cohn’s Restaurants). It’s one of our go-to places for Thanksgiving when we can’t weasel our way into a party invitation. Locals rave about the OB Noodle House (which might just have the most beers on tap in OB). You can’t forget the iconic Hodad’s for burgers and amazing french fries. Get a sticker to show your friends back home, and try if you can to sit in the VW Bus booth. It should come as no surprise that there are good vegan and vegetarian food options at Hugo’s Cocina, Ocean Beach People’s Organic Food Market, or Plant Power Fast Food. You can grab an ice cream at Lighthouse Ice Cream & Yogurt or a beer and many of the brewpubs in town. You can even catch a show at Winston’s, The Holding Company or Wonderland (there’s that name again).
Closing Out Ocean Beach
What you will not find in Ocean Beach is a swath of chain restaurants and hotels. There is a distinct lack of commercialization in this city and here’s why. In 1915, Ocean Beach was connected to San Diego by light rail and a bridge to Mission Beach. In 1951, the bridge was demolished, which logistically isolated Ocean Beach from the city. OB remained isolated until1967 when I-8 construction was completed. Ocean Beach “rejoined” San Diego in the Summer of Love but the hippie culture that grew up during its isolated period still remains today. It’s still not the easiest beach to reach or park at, but it has a charm and character that makes it unique and worth visiting.
These pics look awesome, just what I imagine California to be like! I’m hoping to head over next summer and want to take my LA friend out there 🙂
Ocean Beach is classic, old school Cali. You can put together quite a road trip when you come out next summer. Remember it’s a big state and to plan enough time to see everything. You’ll be somewhat close to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon (Zion, Bryce, Arches) as well as San Francisco (Big Sur Coast, Redwoods, Napa, Yosemite, Sequoia). So much to see and do.
Your beach photos make me wanna move there! You’re so lucky to live close to this gem! I don’t like chain restaurants so Ocean Beach would be a great place to explore local food culture!
You’re always welcome to visit. Maybe we should just trade houses sometime and we’ll go to Banff.
My son is an aspiring vegan chef. He really wanted his partner (from the Midwest) to try authentic Mexican food. He was so excited to find vegan Mexican in Ocean Beach.
Wow, ocean beach is like a beauty untouched!! I loved all the beach pictures and specially the ones with the cliff. What’s the red light reflection on the beach in the night picture, gosh its just amazing. I’m adding it my bucket list, thanks so much for sharing.
The fires of Mordor in the night shot…. This was a 30 second exposure so that is the glow from the city lights. This shot is looking north to Pacific Beach and Mt Soledad. The same scene is visible in the daylight shots with the birds from earlier in the shoot. There were also four people in the scene with headlights that are a little blurred since they were moving.
On a couple of other shots it’s just the ambient light reflecting off of water and sand.
Those sunset shots of the pier – ahh I live for them! You are so lucky to call this place home because it is beautiful. This is the kind of place I book vacations for! Hopefully, I get to explore these attractions someday!
Thank you. One of the huge advantages of being local is that we know when the amazing sunsets are coming and can run to the beach with our camera.
Ocean Beach’s charm and character certainly came through in your pictures! It looks like such a funky little place to visit. I like beaches that aren’t commercialized. Who wants to go to chain restaurants when they travel? Or have their ocean view blocked by hotels? Not me. I’ll remember this spot if I ever make my way back to California again.
Funny story. One day at the concierge desk Jenn had a couple come in and ask her for a recommendation for Chinese food. She recommended Rendezvous in Del Mar. They came back later all offended that she didn’t say there was PF Chang in town. They were like “why did you recommend a local restaurant when there was PF Chang available?” Meh, you can’t make everybody happy.
Ocean Beach is one of my favorite spots in San Diego. It’s so beautiful and there’s some great food!
I could totally see you in Ocean Beach.
Oh wow those pictures at sunset are incredible. Love the ones of the waves on the rocks too
Thank you. We had a lot of fun on that photo shoot. We knew it was going to be impressive so when we saw the sky and the weather /wave report so we took off with camera in hand.
Such beautiful photos! The West coast has amazing beaches, and we love anywhere there isn’t over run with chains. Which is way too hard to find these days.
Thank you, glad you liked the photos. I would rather eat local any day of the week.
I’ve never been to California (I’m a bad American, I know) but this is adding so much fuel to my fire! Also I’m glad you clarified which kind of mussels haha! These photos are gorgeous, and I’m glad you mentioned good places to get food- Hodad’s seems like somewhere I’d want to hit up!
That you, glad you liked the photos. That muscle / mussel bit was a bit of a joke. In Venice Beach there is a famous outdoor gym called Muscle Beach Venice where Hollywood body builders (link Arnold Schwarzenegger) work out. Since I was pulling the Venice / Ocean Beach comparison I rolled with the muscle / mussel thing. Perhaps I was too esoteric. You should come to California for sure. There are a lot of good things out here.
I would love to visit Ocean Beach, and I love that it has a great range of festivals to attend throughout the year. I would definitely be hitting up the Ocean Beach Farmer’s Market as well as the pier and beach – can’t beat fresh produce! I love that you can fish without a license, that seems to be pretty rare throughout the States now. Sunset Cliffs definitely looks like an amazing spot to snap some photos – the diversity of color as the sun kept setting was insane! So beautiful!
Most of the piers in California don’t require a fishing license. I don’t know exactly why. They are technically private property but you need a license to fish off of a private boat so I don’t understand the difference. Perhaps they are just grandfather claused in since they were built as fishing piers before licenses were required. There are some spots, mostly at private campgrounds that you can fish license free as well.
Cool, thanks! I like enjoy throwing a line in, but not enough to plan ahead and organize licenses!!
That’s an odd fact, but I’m pretty sure public fishing piers in Texas are the same way — will have to check out that fact . . .
This looks like a beautiful destination for families; we’ll have to bring the kids here! The photos are stunning too, did you take them all? I’ve always wanted to visit Cali, it’s just got such a laid back romantic vibe and I’ve heard the vegan options are plentiful just as you found!
The photo credit is in the hover text for the pictures. We took the sunset at the pier and the sunset cliff sequences.
Some places in Cali or more laid back than others. OB has that vibe going for sure.
I love 🏄 surfig! The beach seems to be heaps of fun. The sunset was gorgeous and it’s a great that it’s a place to party day and night. I am so looking forward to my next vacation and my next visit to California in 2 months. 😂@ knycx.journeying
If you’re down in San Diego hit us up and we’ll grab a bite.
That’s such a comprehensive guide – and those photographs..Wow! We realize that there’s SO much to see in California that each visit falls short. I can totally imagine myself on this beach during sunset.
California is so big it’s hard to fit it all in one trip or even one summer. Lot’s of work for us to do here.
There are some people who say that San Diego is a premier 4th of July destination but we’re not sold. There is a season here called June Gloom where the marine layer stays all day. There is a good chance of clouds for the 4th.
When it’s going to be “one of those” sunsets, we make sure that we grab our camera and go out.
Wow! The Ocean’s Beach seems to be a very lively place with so much of music and festivities!!! The sunset cliffs are just spectacular! That’s a place I’d spend an entire evening in, with my guy beside – its just so romantic! The beach eatery looks interesting!
It’s a great place to cuddle up with your man. Maybe even bring a bottle of wine and toast the sunset.
Absolutely fantastic pictures! I was in California about a year ago, but I never made it to San Diego, just Los Angeles and San Francisco. I can definitely see the similarities to Venice Beach and Santa Monica. However, I’m so sad I missed the dog beach. I love dogs. I probably would have spent hours there!
Sounds like you have to make it back to go to San Diego. It just feels different here than San Francisco or LA. Right at Santa Barbara (Point Conception) the nature of the coastline changes. It gets decidedly rocky and cold north of there. LA is very built up until you get to Malibu or Orange County. San Diego is just sort of chill and fun.
Ocean beach sounds like a happening place with so much there to spend fun filled evenings with friends and family. The pictures of the sunset cliffs are awe-inspiring can spend hours just watching the colors of sky. We are yet to make it to this part of the world but Ocean Beach will surely be on the list
We you come to California, you have to watch a the sunset over the ocean… And Sunset Cliffs is a great place to do that.
Ocean Beach really seems like my kind of place! I love that you won’t find many chain places at all. I really have turned into a snob and hate chain anything haha. Everything looks super cute and the views look gorgeous here!
We would prefer to buy local every time too. It’s the little choices you make everyday that can really add up.
Ocean Beach looks like a funky, cool Cali town. I love the SoCal music scene, those beach vibes get me everytime. Ocean Beach seems to fit into this. And this spot looks great for photography.
We saw the 50th anniversary of Endless Summer projected on an outdoor screen on the Beach on Ocean Beach. It felt like beach vibes all the way,
I’ve never been to Ocean Beach — on my two trips to San Diego (okay, it’s been some years), it simply isn’t someplace I got around to visiting. Now I want to go! Gorgeous sunsets — so I’d want to miss the June Gloom period. It’s interesting how it has the rep as being the perfect place for the 4th of July. I suppose it’s one of those things that when the weather works in your favor, it couldn’t get any better.
Even if it’s sunny out the water is still really cold. I think the rep for 4th of July is because San Diego is the home of the 3rd Fleet and the strong military presence makes for a very patriotic holiday. Plus, the fireworks over the water are beautiful, especially from downtown.
Ocean beach looks so awesome. I didn’t know they had such cool rock faces along side the ocean. That rock arch is awesome!
There are a couple of places in San Diego with sea caves and arches. Sunset Beach is on and in between La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores is another. That arch on Sunset Cliffs is a famous photography spot.
Sometimes isolation pays off! Ocean Beach sounds absolutely peaceful, fun and lovely. I’d love to at least visit for a day, stroll along that gorgeous coast (great photos by the way) and grab a swanky meal at BO-beau Kitchen.
Thank you. Sunset cliffs is a very peaceful place and BO-beau is quality food.
California is having so many stunning beaches and this Ocean Beach is looking so appealing. As it is famous for sunset I would really want to go this place. Hippie culture also looks fun. Watching the ocean with sun setting from the cliffs is so wonderful. I love the pigeon shot.
Funny thing about the pigeon shot. The flew up when I had my cell phone out. I came back with the DSL and I just couldn’t get them to take flight again.
Thank you. We worked hard trying to get the splash to cover the sun but it just wasn’t happening. Next time.
Ocean Beach looks really enchanting. Especially in the evening it seems to acquire an ethereal glow and your pictures have captured this to stunning effect. Always like the advice from a local, as this uncovers so many new facets of a place. Especially when it comes to food, one should always go by the locals advice,
Sunset is a magical time by the ocean. Sometimes the camera can catch things they eyes move to fast to see.
Ocean Beach is so beautiful. Your photos are really inspiring. I especially love the photos of the pigeons which you didn’t quite manage to make take flight. I also love the couple under the blanket. Such a romantic moment captured. Its also good to know that dogs can go to the area where the river mouth is.
It’s hard to take dogs on vacation so those spots are good to know. Glad you liked the photos.
Such a beautiful and vibrant beach! There are so many things to do and love your sunset pictures so much! Would love to add this to my best sunset moments too.
Thank you. Best sunset moments is a pretty good list to be on.
I’ve eaten at the Noodle House and experienced the beer, but that’s it. Your guide to your hood is fantastic, I’m going to use it next time I head that way, I love this part of California!
Thank you. I can’t wait to see Mr Misadventure’s pictures. They’ll be fabulous.
Seems like there’s always something going on! I’m so impressed by the surfers that brave the cold waters haha, and I would totally shop at the Ocean Beach Farmer’s Market. Oh, to live the California life!
We just traded the California life for the Florida Life. Fingers crossed it all works out ok. So far, we spent a lot of time on International Drive, which is a lot like Ocean Beach… No, it’s not. Not in any way. We’ll miss Cali for sure.