Are there sandy, swimming beaches near Monterey or Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz has a great sandy, public beach, with a boardwalk, concerts, pier.

Lots of sandy beaches, but the Santa Cruz beach is almost the only one for swimming because the water can get warmer in the bay. Surfers use wet suits all year around.

In addition to the nice wide, sandy Santa Cruz beaches, there is also Carmel Beach which is at the end of Ocean Av. in Carmel-by-the-Sea. It is very beautiful but the water is too cold for swimming---it's great for walking and taking in the scenic beauty. There is also Monterey Beach, a sandy beach north of the Fisherman's Wharf with a great walking and bike trail that goes along it. Also there are a couple of State Beach Parks west of Watsonville--one is called Sunset Beach. In the summer, Santa Cruz beaches have the warmest water and they will be the most likely beaches you might be able to swim without a wet suit.

The Carmel Beach is very nice, white sand and a nice long stretch for walking. The beach in back of the Monterey Beach Resort is also great for this. ***kim***

Is this for children? If so, Santa Cruz and some beaches in that area are ok for kids. The water is not nearly as warm as in So Cal, but it can get tolerable and sometimes close to pleasant. I think the water at Carmel is too turbulent for children. Even in the area of Santa Cruz the water is kind of dangerous.

However, if not for little ones, I agree with all of the above!

The beach at the Santa Cruz boardwalk is wide and sandy and then you have the Boardwalk for an old fashioned kind of fun!

This is great information. I do chuckle at the mention of the water being too cold to swim and I am not sure what you really mean by cold.

I live in New England and am at the beaches swimming in water temps in the low -mid 60's all summer long without a wet suit. Are these the temps of the water at the beaches you mention above?

I certainly understand people who are not used to New England cold water and who would never think of swimming in these temps but I am trying to get a realistic picture of what types of beaches I will encounter in these parts of California and if I will be spending time at the beach in the water. By the way, this will be the end of August.

The beach at Capitola (next to Santa Cruz) is also really fun and good for kids. Sorry, I forgot to add that.

I am not interested in beaches with children in mind and we love waves for body surfing, but of course not dangerous surf with undertows.

What are the most quiet, remote beaches? I don't think the public beach by the Boardwalk is what I am looking for.

Juldie, I just googled it and the temps vary from 55 to 60 degrees. So cold. We're not just being wimps.

"I do chuckle at the mention of the water being too cold to swim . . . . . "

Well, wipe that chuckle off your face

On the Atlantic you have relatively warm currents, not so along the eastern Pacific. The ocean along the central and northern California coast is generally cool to VERY cold. The only places it warms up a little is in a few shallow bays.

The beaches are gorgeous - the water is cold . . . .

Juldie: janisj is correct about the currents.

The ocean currents circulate in a clockwise fashion in the Northern Hemisphere and in a counterclockwise fashion in the Southern Hemisphere.

Thus the currents in the Atlantic circulate from the cold Arctic down along Europe and Africa then along the Equator and then turn north along the Eastern seaboard and thence back to the Arctic. You are getting the waters warmed at the Equator, which is why East Coast beaches are really nice beaches for swimming.

Here on the West Coast, we are getting the waters circulating from the Arctic down along Western Canada to us here in California before the waters get to the Equator and then turn back north to the Arctic. Our waters are a lot colder than yours and the further north along the California coast, the more the beaches are not for swimming.

If you are happy swimming off the beaches in Wales, you'll feel very much at home here in California's colder waters.

However, another reason I would advise against swimming too far out from any Californian beach are the riptides which run very close to shore. These could be killer riptides.

Swimming in protected coves and bays is fine and in shallow waters of open ocean beaches is also OK.

Enjoy!

>>What are the most quiet, remote beaches?<<

Then Santa Cruz is certainly not the place to go for you - they have a roller-coaster right on the beach.

Here are some more options:

- Actually Monterey Bay is one extremely long beach which stretches from Monterey, Fishermens Wharf, to Santa Cruz. When you start in Monterey and go northwards, you will quickly arrive at very quiet and scenic sandy beaches with gorgeous dunes (especially north of Seaside).

- In Pacific Grove, you find a small sandy cove near Lovers Point.

- Other options in Pacific Grove are Asilomar Beach and North Moss Beach (Spanish Bay). Higher waves and colder water.

- Just out of Santa Cruz, you find New Brighton State Beach. They charge an entrance fee, but this helps to keep it quiet.

Look up Google Earth and you see how it looks like.

Thanks for the explanation about the ocean currents and water temperatures; I am beginning to get a good picture about swimming in the beaches up North. Before I decide where we are going and if spending time at the beach is important, then I want to have a good picture of what it's like and see if it's a good match. traveller 1959, I will definitely look into the beaches you mention in your post.

For the most quiet remote beaches, check out the State Beach Parks west of Watsonville.

When we were kids, our annual summer vacation was to either Seacliff(near Capitola) or Santa Cruz. The water was cold??? I have become such a weenie as an adult!!

MY

If you are coming in August, bring long pants and a fleece We can have some foggy weather - generally burns off around noon and rolls back in around sunset.

For body surfing, Castle Beach in Santa Cruz was always my favorite. This is at the end of Seabright Ave, across the river from the Boardwalk beach.

If you want something out of the way, try Manresa, Sunset, and Zmudowski state beachs. I am not sure how the body surfing is there, but you will not have crowds. Seacliff and New Brighton state beaches wont be as crowded as the Boardwalk, Cowell, or Castle, but not as empty as the others I mentioned. Also, if you drive along East Cliff Drive between Santa Cruz and Capitola, there are a few good beaches there. Twin Lakes is the first you come to and then there are others down side streets - the streets off East Cliff dead end at the ocean and quite a few have beach access. Just look for some people wandering around with sand still stuck to their feet

Oh - and I should add that I too have become a weenie as an adult. I used to think nothing of swimming in the ocean. But then my friends and I used to swim in Donner Lake before the snow around the lake had completely melted.

The beach at Asilomar is very nice.

We live in Palo Alto and often take a day trip to Capitola (about 45 minutes away). In July/August it can be 80+ here and as low as 50 at the beach. We pick our day, watch web cams and fog reports! Having said that we've had some great days on th beach and our kids do swim without wetsuits.
Friends from England spent 4 days at Capitola last August. The temperature didn't make it above 60 for even one of the days. So beware! The beaches are fine for walking but you have to luck out to get a day in the sun on the beach.
Our daughter spends a lot of time on the beach at Carmel. She's a strong 10 year old swimmer and they boogie board for hours in a short wetsuit.If you don't like dogs don't go to the beach there, it is swarming with them! But you can walk for miles and if you sit in the dunes it can be beautifully sheltered.

Thanks everyone. Yikes, phidias1 your comments are very helpful in helping me decide if this is where we want to go for a summer vacation. Our summer is so short here in New England, I hope to extend it where we travel the end of August and am not thrilled about being at the coast in fog and 50 degrees. These are fantastic beach suggestions! I still have my homework to do I see.

Juldie: That is what "furiners" don't understand about summer on the northern/central CA coast. "Summer" there happens in Sept/early October. That is when the weather is warmest/clearest absolutely the best.

In July/August inland gets up into the 90's and 100's. When that happens, an inversion draws cold/cool weather and fog into the coastal areas. So where I live inland an August day could be 105ºF while 70m miles away in the SF area it could be 60.

In the summer, you can spot the out of town visitors in SF -- shorts, sandals, blue knees, and brand new heavy hooded sweatshirts bought as an emergency

The beaches/scenery are utterly magnificent - but if you want warm weather guaranteed - you need to come in the Fall. (though there can also be summer heat waves on the coast)

"However, another reason I would advise against swimming too far out from any Californian beach are the riptides which run very close to shore. These could be killer riptides. "

You forgot the KILLER GREAT WHITE SHARKS that roam just offshore waiting for Easterners to swim out to them.

Ronda,


Rip tides are not a joke. If I recall correctly, 7 people died in one summer swimming in the Pacific in San Francisco. I suspect that there is a higher fatality rate due to rip tides than to great white sharks, but one could not make a good movie out of it.

MichelleY -- we vacationed lots of summers at Seacliff/Rio del Mar too! Rented one floor of a house at the end of the private road along the beach below the cliff. Cold COLD water (but the house had a small heated lap pool on the back deck so we could come up and thaw out . . . .

Yes, rip tides are an issue - and of course, watch out for the Under Toad. It all comes down to the need to respect the ocean and not leave your common sense at home when you go on vacation. If people recognize the dangers and adjust for them, then it is fine to swim in our ocean.

We all learned as kids that the currents are stronger than we are, so if we get caught, don't struggle, just go with the current until it releases us - then swim back to shore. Most people who drown do so because they exhaust themselves struggling against the current and then cannot swim back to shore.

There was a great state park near the Marina Dunes Resort in Marina... don't remember the name, but the beach was incredible and not commercial....

Hi, just spent the weekend in Santa Cruz. We lucked out and had incredibly beautiful, warm weather (but no, I was not getting in the water--usually don't do that until September/October). Anyway, I'm working on a very brief trip report. Here is what I wrote about the beach:

I saw someone here asking about sandy beaches near Santa Cruz; I loved the Boardwalk beach as a teen, but I wouldn't really hang out there nowadays. If you're looking for a frame of reference, I'd say it has some of the same vibe as Venice Beach in southern Cal--but certainly family friendly so don't worry too much. However, not calm. I'd say Twin Lakes and down the coast there (see Google maps) offer sandy and not-too-hectic beaches. Of course the West Side has them too, but less of a continuous stretch. On the West Side, Natural Bridges is wonderful!

By the way, a seal was hanging out on Twin Lakes beach, unusual because it was fairly crowded. We were worried it was injured but after a while it seemed okay. The really annoying thing is people kept walking right up to it, thisclose, including people with young children. Grr.

Have fun and be a safe swimmer.

santa cruz = beach/fun

monterey = old people, fog, lousy beaches

capitola, aptos good beaches and lodging.

goldie13: This thread is more than a year old. Doubt the OP is still looking for info . . . .

geez, sorry janisj, personally i read old threads for travel info all the time. besides, being a california native, i just learned a lot about east coast beaches and the equator and that info is timeless!

My post was not a slam -- it was just to let you know the OP isn't looking for info any longer. Plus - topping old threads for no real purpose drops current threads down the list so fewer folks will see them and respond.

You've only been on Fodors for a couple of days -- you'll sort out soon enough how the forums work and why (IMO) Fodors is one of the best travel sites around . . . .

janisj... new posters need to be embraced, not lectured... topping old threads does not come with rules... your second post was even a bigger slam than the first... if you want an old post to sink, adding your two cents of "how the forums work" prolongs its topping... be nice...

thanks, gary, im thinking maybe i need to change my name and start over. besides, what is IMO?

IMO =In My Opinion

goldie... there is an attitude on the site... lots of travel bullies, especially on the Lounge... its a public site and the Blowhards are just that... lonely people who build self- esteem by pushing their opinions on others... its not you... its them... stay tough...

again, thanks gary, i needed that.

goldie - not to worry. I've been on this site for years and felt slammed by people's posts from time to time. I don't know if it is just a matter of tone and inflection not coming through on a message board or if people are just cranky. Either way, stick around. Mostly this is a fun board.

I totally concur with janisf..year old posts when there are numerous topics on the Monterey area.

garyt22..the only attitude I see is blowhards like you that have to put others down with your bullying mentality..(these are your words)

As a Black man, I've seen it all my life, but you repeat the same mantra over and over with your stupid posts that there are 'travel bullies and people with lonely, low self esteem people'.

Funny, that is how you come across!

you can't play a race card over the topping of posts... old posts are harmless... why cant regular posters stop badgering new posters who are making use of the history features on fodors... ksucat... you are better than that...

I don't think that janisf was badgering a new poster at all.
She was guiding goldie13 since she is new.

What you like to do and this is only an observation, is you like to repeat the same old tired mantra that I see you posted almost verbatim on 'Why do people post on Fodor's'?
Travel bullies, with low self esteem that are lonely.
Come on, don't you have anything better than that.

As far as the race card, it was to make a point, which you obviously, didn't get.

You need to take your own advice...Be Nice!

Theres a difference between guiding and bashing... I can only go by goldies thank you... why are you jumping all over me... mind your own business... sometimes the truth hurts... maybe i struck a nerve... you sound like a bully looking for a fight... im not a fighter, just a low esteem loser looking at a travel site for validation...

Using the race card to make a point weakens the power it ultimately has when necessary... don't abuse it for crap like this... love you cat!

gary..
I'm not a bully or looking for a fight.
I just call it out when I see something that imho, isn't right.

Your banter is classic, passive/aggresive and just reading your last post, sums it up.
I wish you all the best!

Nobody needs you to "call anything out" and how are you qualified on the "isn't right" scale over anybody else???

If you truly were NOT looking for a fight, why did you have to come back 8 DAYS after the last post and top it again?

PS there are two s's in aggressive... I learned that as a male cheerleader at Kansas State...

Alright, alright - enough out of the both of you. Don't make me put you in time out

yes mom...