Avalanche / California / United States

Right on the edge of the town of Ocean Beach, this place breaks very consistently and you can usually find some rideable waves even on the smallest days.

The beach is about a mile long, but you're looking for the jetty to the south of the Mission Bay inlet.  As it is so close to a popular town the place is almost always crowded. Water temperatures range from about 15° C in winter to around 20° C in summer, so pack your kit accordingly.

The waves here start at less than 1 m and hold up to a maximum of just over 2 m, working at all tide positions and on both rising and falling tides. The best conditions are when the wind is coming from the south, south-east, east or north-east and the swell is rolling in from the north, north-west, west, south-west or south. It breaks by a jetty, both right and left, and despite not being the biggest waves around they are still relatively fast and powerful, and hollow too.  Length isn't bad, and at any time you can expect between 100 and 150 m.

There are several surf shops towards the south end of the beach, and lifeguards patrol the area. There is plenty of accommodation, restaurants and nightlife available in the town itself you want it, and the whole place is well set up to deal with large numbers of tourists.

There are strong currents here which tend to keep the lifeguard busy, and you should also try to avoid hitting the jetty. The crowds can also be a problem as people often drop in on each other.