Ocean Beach

Ocean Beach is the widest and longest expanse of sand on San Francisco’s shores, extending from the Cliff House to Fort Funston along the Pacific Ocean.  Ocean Beach is as popular for seaside drives, brisk jogs, kite flying, and sunset walks.  On the rare warm night in San Francisco, a bond fire in one of the beach fire pits is a fun activity with a group of friends as you watch the sunset over the Ocean.  Bathrooms are hard to get to.

The beach is nearly always enveloped in San Francisco's characteristic fog throughout the late spring and summer, with average temperatures in the 50s. The water is notorious for its strong currents and fierce waves, making it popular, but dangerous, among serious surfers. The waves are quite cold, due to a process known as “upwelling,” in which frigid water from below the ocean surface rises up to replace the surface water that surges away from the beach. The rapid rip currents and cold water make the ocean dangerous for casual swimmers or even for those who simply want to set foot in it, and many swimmers have been swept away and drowned as a result. Lives have been lost here. For your own safety, obey the posted regulations and stay out of the water.
Ocean Beach is a great place to sit or stroll, fly kites, and fish the surf. Occasionally, it’s warm enough to lie in the sun. Watch for the small, shy snowy plover, a threatened species that rests here in the winter; and which is being strictly monitored and protected by the National Park Service.