Ocean Beach, San Francisco, California

Ocean Beach at sunrise

Aerial view of the Ocean Beach neighborhood at Taraval Street

Cliff House from Ocean beach

Ocean Beach is a beach that runs along the west coast of San Francisco, California, United States, at the Pacific Ocean. It is adjacent to Golden Gate Park, the Richmond District and the Sunset District. The Great Highway runs alongside the beach, and Cliff House and the site of the former Sutro Baths sit at the northern end. The beach is a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which is administered by the National Park Service.

During the late spring and summer, the beach is frequently enveloped in San Francisco's characteristic foggy weather, resulting in average temperatures of 50 - 55 °F (9 - 12 °C) and discouraging visitation by tourists and beach goers.^{[citation needed]} However, the beach is popular with surfers, and bonfire parties.^{[citation needed]} More beach-friendly weather occurs in late fall and early spring, when fog is less prevalent. On November 2nd, 2011, Ocean Beach played site of a monumental achievement in the sport of surfing. In the Rip Curl Pro, surfing contest, the legendary Kelly Slater won his unprecedented 11th ASP world championship at approximately 3:14 PST at the age of 39. This was the only 1 of his 11 championships won on the US continental soil. The day marked a special occasion for he and the world of surfing as it was the 1 year anniversary of the passing of close friend and fellow surfing legend, Andy Irons. Kelly Slater, the sport of surfing and San Francisco's Ocean Beach will forever be enshrined in lore.

The water at Ocean Beach is noteworthy for its strong currents and fierce waves, which makes it popular among many serious surfers. The water is also 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 moves away from the beach as a result of the Coriolis effect. 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.^{[citation needed]} Nevertheless, the beach is one of the Bay Area's top surfing spots. The southern portion of the beach by Sloat Boulevard is one of the cleanest in the state.^[1]

Surfing

Surfers and other swimmers have died at Ocean Beach; one example occurred in May 2006,^[2] with the next-previous death taking place in January 2006.^[3] Prior to that, it had been about five years since anyone died at Ocean Beach. In 1998, a record seven people lost their lives there.^[4]

The Ocean Beach surfing community is served by four surf shops and several popular beach-themed cafes. Seal Rock is a prominent local feature of the area. Third Eye Blind's Motorcycle Drive By was written about this beach.

Most locals surf towards the most Northern part of the beach, often called Kelly's Cove. The roughest part of the beach, Kelly's is home to only the most dedicated and native San Franciscan surfers. But this roughness is not only seen in the water on the northern tip: local surfers run a pretty tight-knit community who don't take kindly to out-of-towners stealing waves or crowding this alleged reserved area, similar to on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.^{[citation needed]}

History

The shipwreck of the King Philip in May 2007

Due in part to its sometimes inhospitable weather (high winds, cold weather and fog) the area was largely undeveloped throughout most of San Francisco's early history, when it was known as part of the "Outside Lands". Development finally came in the late-19th century, when a steam railroad was in place by 1884 to bring people to the first amusement ride at the City’s ocean side, a "Gravity Railroad" roller coaster, and to the Ocean Beach Pavilion for concerts and dancing. By 1890 there were trolley lines to Ocean Beach: the Ferries and Cliff House Railroad, the Park & Ocean Railroad and the Sutro Railroad that encouraged commercial amusement development as a trolley park.^[5] Cliff House, which opened in 1863, and Sutro Baths, which opened in 1896, drew thousands of visitors.^[6]

Following a brief stint as a refugee camp after the 1906 earthquake, the area was touted as a resort, as a small amusement park, Playland at the Beach, was built where Cabrillo and Balboa streets now end. Major development occurred in the 1920s and 1930s with construction of the Great Highway and housing in the adjacent Sunset and Richmond Districts. After the destruction of the Sutro Baths in 1966, the neighborhood lost its resort appeal; the amusement park was also torn down in 1972, to be replaced by apartment blocks and a supermarket in the 1990s.

On January 25, 1878, the King Philip, a three-masted clipper ship drifted onto Ocean Beach and foundered. From time to time, the wreckage of the ship still emerges from the sands just offshore, most recently re-appearing in May 2007.^[7] Prior to that, its last appearance was in 1985.^[8]

San Francisco Ocean Beach at sunset, October 2007. Photo from northern end of beach adjacent to Golden Gate Park. Seal Rock and Cliff House are visible in the distance on the right.

See also

• 49-Mile Scenic Drive
• Ocean Beach Public Policy
  

References

1. ^ Bay Area beaches grade well for safe swimming, May 27, 2010 by Carolyn Jones, San Francisco Chronicle
2. ^ Davidson, Keay; Rubenstein, Steve (2006-05-16). "Ocean Beach rip currents lethal". San Francisco Chronicle web site. San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/16/BAG88ISHDL1.DTL. Retrieved 2010-11-27. 
3. ^ Sturrock, Carrie (2006-01-23). "Surfer dies off Ocean Beach". San Francisco Chronicle web site. San Francisco Chronicle. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/23/BAG35GRIHN1.DTL. Retrieved 2010-11-27. 
4. ^ Herel, Suzanne; Finz, Stacy (2006-01-24). "Taste of surfing proves fatal". San Francisco Chronicle web site. San Francisco Chronicle. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/01/24/MNGDPGS5MB1.DTL. Retrieved 2010-11-27. 
5. ^ Amusing America, San Francisco Public Library online exhibit, Sept 2006. Accessed 7 August 2007.
6. ^ Beldner, Ray Public Art: Playland Revisited. Access 7 August 2007.
7. ^ Rubenstein, Steve (2007-05-08). "Ship parts poke through sand at Ocean Beach". San Francisco Chronicle web site. San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/08/BAGS0PMLPB15.DTL. Retrieved 2010-11-27. 
8. ^ Nolte, Carl; May, Meredith (2007-05-10). "Low tide reveals history at Ocean Beach". San Francisco Chronicle web site. San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/10/BAGIFPOG9O1.DTL. Retrieved 2010-11-27. 

External links

• Ocean Beach: historical images
• Ocean Beach Fire Ban Advocacy Web Site: A coalition of activists working to preserve fires on Ocean
• Revised Ocean Beach Fire Policy: National Park Service, updated July 2008
• Ocean Beach Surf Reports: Ocean Beach Community Surf Reports
• SFSurf.org: Ocean Beach Bodyboarding Group
• obsf.org: Ocean Beach San Francisco Foundation
• OB-KC: Ocean Beach - Kelly's Cove Weather, Beach Cam & Resource Guide
• Ocean Beach Bulletin: Community news site for Ocean Beach and nearby neighborhoods
• Ocean Beach Surf on Facebook

Coordinates: 37°45′34″N 122°30′39″W / 37.75944°N 122.51083°W / 37.75944; -122.51083