Windansea Beach

Serious Surfing, Sunbathing & Sunsets
This is a serious surfer beach also known for beautiful ocean views with strikingly brilliant romantic sunsets. The secluded atmosphere of Windansea downhill from luxury homes, oceanfront hotels and commercial shopping makes this beach ideal for sunbathers that prefer more solitude. The smooth sandstone rocks above the beach are perfect seats to enjoy the skilled surfing performances below.

The shorebreak, a steep beach condition combined with its underwater reef creates hard-breaking surf right to the shoreline. This makes Windansea a popular gathering place for the serious surfing culture. “The Shack”, originally built by surfers in WWII has been replicated several times and is now a San Diego Historic Site. Often called the “sugar shack” named for its abundance of romantic encounters that took place within its “lack of walls”.

The heavy partying by the surfer crowd in the sixties was the subject of Tom Wolfe’s “The Pumphouse Gang” written in 1968. Today it’s a much toned-down version of its hey-days. Alcohol is only permitted from noon to 8:00 p.m. and not at all in parking lots, walkways or grassy picnic areas. Fires of any kind on or around the beach are prohibited.

Windansea is also a great area for body surfing and offers some okay snorkeling conditions. The north end of the beach is quite rocky and you’ll find the south much sandier with nice strolling conditions along the shoreline. Windansea has separate surfing and swimming areas, but is not recommended for children because of rough surf. Novice surfers should consider the milder waves found at La Jolla Shores.

For Your Beach Safety
Lifeguard stations are only staffed on weekends during the spring months, daily in the summer and weekends during September beginning at 9:00 a.m. to dusk. There are no lifeguards during other periods. Click here for up-to-date safety information.

Services, Guidelines and Notes
There are no public restrooms or showers at Windansea. The beach has separate areas for surfing and swimming. There are numerous sandstone cliff formations which make the beach inaccessible to wheelchairs, but the adjacent sidewalks are handicap friendly with excellent views of the beach. Beach fires are prohibited and alcohol is only permitted on the beach from 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m.

Directions 6800 Neptune Place, La Jolla

From the north. Take Interstate 5 southbound. Exit La Jolla Village Drive westbound. Turn left on Torrey Pines Road then right on Pearl Street. Turn left on La Jolla Boulevard, then right on Nautilus.

From the south. Take Interstate 5 northbound. Exit on Ardath Road westbound as it becomes Torrey Pines Road. Turn right on Pearl Street. Turn left on La Jolla Boulevard, then right on Nautilus.

Parking at Windansea Beach
There are only 18 spaces in the public parking lot and there is limited on-street parking in a residential area.

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