Can anyone tell me when the best months are for swimming and lying on the beach?

Karlie

just like everywhere - summer

Hi Karlie. Let me see if I can help you. I just came back from Southern California where the weather and air temps were beautiful. I saw lots of people lying on the beach but very few in the water -- it's very cold. The surfers wear wetsuits to stay warm.

We have also been to Newport Beach in August. Once again, great for sunbathing but the water was still icey. My youngest son and husband braved the water but frankly it was too painful for me to venture in.

The bottom line, it is a matter of tolerance. Here on the east coast, the water temperature high is about 68 degrees and I can swim in that.

Here is a link to see what the average water temps are for S. California. But I swear that average of 70 degrees for Newport Beach does not seem right.

http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/spac.html

Even if you do not end up swimming, the views of the Pacific Ocean cannot be beat

My vote is for September. After Labor Day, there are no crowds and better chance of beautiful weather with little or no coastal fog.

HI Karlie--my understanding is that one is not supposed to swim at Santa Monica beaches b/c of high pollution levels. Can anyone else verify this?

You got THAT right!

socialworker: Not true for the most part; for most of the year the water is quite safe for swimming/surfing. However, if county officials determine that there is an elevated bacteria count in the water from whatever source (most often, street runoff after a hard rain), the ocean is deemed off-limits.

There are other beaches in Santa Monica Bay that consistently rate cleaner than those in Santa Monica itself. Manhattan and Hermosa Beaches are always A+ except after heavy storms. Water temps stay in the 60s until later in the summer after lots of hot weather. Hottest air temps are usually in late August and through September.

Thanks for the info, rjw_lgb_ca,--apparently several of our visits there have coincided w/those conditions. Good to know it is not always the case... But clark, you seem to be of the opinion that it is *not* good to swim there.

What about the safety of swimming in Marina Del Rey?

See your other thread on swimming in MDR... The closest safe and clean swimming beach would be Playa del Rey or the Marina Peninsula (adjacent to Venice). The most enjoyable swimming and sunning experience would be farther away in Santa Monica or Manhattan Beach.

Thanks!