ailsc

Hi all - hope you can help me… Have booked our summer trip over to California and we'll be in Santa B late July early August. I've chosen SB over Laguna Beach due to what i understand is better sea for swimming in for my kids… but am now worried about whether it will really be warm enough in terms of weather !

Thanks so much

Ackislander

Those of us from the East and South would argue that it is never warm enough to swim in the Pacific.

The air temperatures are likely to be very pleasant for enjoying the beach, the water not different from perhaps Cornwall, though I haven't checked the actual water temperatures.

Dukey1

I'm not sure why you think the sea is better near Santa Barbara for swimming.

ailsc

Thanks guys. I've found some kiddy friendly beaches in SB like Carpinteria which all reviews say has great swimming. I asked a few people in Laguna and they said it was often hit and miss with too many serious waves so thats why i decided on SB. plus I understand quieter v Laguna. Do you guys live near SB/Laguna ? Would you say Pacific cooler than Atlantic ? We were in North Carolina last year and sea was ok for us …

J62

The Pacific is definitely cooler than the Atlantic at the same latitude on opposite coasts.

It is due to the clockwise water flow patterns of the oceans. In the Atlantic warm water flows northward from the Caribbean / Gulf of Mexico up the US coast. (called the Gulf Stream http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Stream)

A similar phenomenon occurs in the Pacific, so this means colder water flows down the west coast of the US.

http://www.marinebio.net/marinescien...omposition.htm

PaulRabe

Take a look at the basic ocean currents for the Pacific Ocean:
http://oceanbites.org/wp-content/upl...AY-Figure3.png

Compare them to those of the Atlantic:
http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/jpito...s-L%20copy.jpg


Note that the flow into North Carolina is a warm current, but the flow into California is a cold one.
Plain and simple, California ocean water is, on the whole, colder than that of the Eastern Seaboard. The AIR temperature and the beach itself
http://2wvmpt5xl1m1has4220vvz4a.wpen...1/IMG_3094.jpg
will be perfect for wading and swimming. But the water will be colder than you expect.

tomfuller

This is the cheap hotel that DW and I stayed at in Carpenteria. http://sandyland.com/
It ha a swimming pool.
Some of the surfers I saw in Goleta had their wetsuits on.

Momddtravel2

I live in Southern Orange County - Newport Beach area - Laguna waters can be rough but I am not sure it is much different then Santa Barbara. Newport Beach has good beaches that we often swim in (Laguna doesn't really have large stretches of sand and beach - more cove like areas except a small strand in the middle of Laguna which is very busy).

I would not stay in Laguna in the middle of summer only due to the intense beach traffic in and around the village - but if you go you don't really need to drive, depending on where you stay, they even have a trolley car that runs to get you around the village.

Yes, the pacific is cold - you can see the average temps - but we do swim in it Should be warm at the end of July/August (as far as air temp) Right now it is very cool this week won't be above 70 degrees for about a week (can be normal this time of year...)

Enjoy your time. California is stunning.

LeslieC

You will be fine in Santa Barbara in July. Weather will be gorgeous and water/beaches nice. Lot's of tourists and so stay walking distance to the beach as parking at the beach is difficult at that time. I live in Ventura County, adjacent to the south from SB and I would never come all the way from the UK to stay in Carpenteria (a funky beach town) over SB.

In SB, your kids can also do safe ocean kayaking which I don't think is possible in Laguna.

If you really want a kid friendly town with warm beach or bay swimming, consider San Diego.

Welcome to my state!

clarkgriswold

Carpinteria is labeled "the safest beach" in California due to its position which allows for less of a "riptide"/undertow. Our 10 & 12 year old nephews from New England were boogie-boarding in the Pacific in late April and didn't seem bothered by the water temp at all. Enjoy and don't overthink it...kids do not need the perfect temperatures and glitch-free lives that parents seem to be worried about. If the water's too cold, they'll build a sand castle.

MichelleY

Idk. When we were kids, we spent every summer in Santa Cruz. We were always in the waves and didn't let the cold stop us. But we were kids. I recall my parents not wanting to go in saying it was too cold.

janisj

MichelleY is made of stronger stuff than me

I spent most summers in Rio Del Mar/Aptos (between Santa Cruz and Monterey and my water time consisted of wading/swimming/sp,asking about til my fingers froze and my knees turned blue and I retreated to the beach to wrap up in a blanket shivering til I thawed out.

It isn't the 'weather' you have to worry about. The weather will be fine . . . It is the COLD water. Some are more tolerant of the temps than others (I'm not).

Some little kids laugh it off - some are miserable. But they can have fun building sand castles, chasing bugs/crabs/birds, popping the seaweed bulbs, messing about on the beach.

(The water will be colder than off the coast of Cornwall or Wales)

Momddtravel2

You can kayak or sup in Orange County - newport harbor is great for that...

MichelleY

LOL JanisJ! We also spent time in Seacliff. Great memories at the beach.

nytraveler

Yes, but New England water temps are a lot colder then the Carolinas. We can;t stand the ocean in FL and other southern areas - since it makes us feel like lobsters boiling. But I grew up 20 minutes from the north Atlantic and we would go in the water in May (not full swimming since it tended to be quite rough, but wet all over). Our idea is that the ater is supposed to cool you down from the heat of the sun.

But I suspect that water may be colder than the UK - which is oddly warmed by the gulf stream.

janisj

Oops - just saw the typo in my post . . . should be >>splashing about

Surfergirl

Nothing is colder than the water at Brighton. Nothing. Brrr! I remember thinking I was going to die of frostbite one 90 degree day in Brighton in the early '80s.

If it were me and kids, and I grew up swimming the Pacific Ocean, I'd head to San Diego.

ailsc

Thanks so much all… I see San Diego is mentioned - its seems very big and busy versus Santa Barbara is my only thought ??

Surfergirl

Certain areas in SD can be big and busy, but there are a lot of areas in San Diego County that would fit the bill, like La Jolla Cove at La Jolla Shores in, guess where, La Jolla; or even Coronado Beach on Coronado. Another great place is Moonlight Beach in Encinitas.

lynni

You will be just fine in Santa Barbara... We have a wonderful bus system, a nice zoo with two newborn baby giraffes, lots of casual restaurants for great family dining and July/August is a wonderful month to visit! Most kids are fine playing in the ocean... My boys surf and sometimes wear a wetsuit, sometimes not. You can rent them, if needed.

I too, grew up swimming at Seacliff, New Brighton and Sunset... Loved it! Such wonderful memories!