Silver Strand Beach (aka "Strand") is an 8 mile long strip of sand separating the Pacific Ocean from San Diego Bay. It is bordered by Coronado to the north, and Imperial Beach to the south, and faces mostly West into the oncoming wind and swells. Being out of the main flow of San Diego traffic, it tends to be one of the least crowded beaches in the county. It also tends to pick up slightly stronger WNW winds than the rest of the county, depending upon conditions. With its large, open, and generally uncrowded beaches, it makes for a great kiteboarding site for any level of rider. Click here for the seasonal wind information.
To get there: From the North, take the Coronado Bridge to Coronado, then take highway 75 south to the Silver Strand Beach exit (there is only one). From the South: Take Palm Avenue through Imperial Beach, then take highway 75 north to the Silver Strand Beach exit.
Parking: Being a State Park, the current parking rate is $10 for the day, enforced year round. You can also park on the eastern side of highway 75 in the Coronado Cays for free, though you'll have to walk a few hundred yards back to the beach.
Kiteboarding Rules: No kiteboarding is permitted north of the southernmost parking lot. This is enforced by the lifeguards. Though its usually "uncrowded", this is still San Diego, a major tourist destination. There can still be loads of people and they tend to conglomerate around the main lifeguard tower and north of it, especially in the summer, making rigging and riding there very difficult to begin with.
There's also a bird sanctuary (for the snowy plover who nest in the sand dunes) to the south of the riding area. The kiteboarders have been asked to down their kites when on the beach in this area, as there is some suspicion the kites frighten the birds to the point they will not procreate. Whether this is really the case, remains to be seen.
One can also go to the "other side" and ride on the bay in flat water, by walking under the pedestrian tunnel. See "water surface conditions" below for the conditions here.
As for the wind: Its generally the most consistently windy spot in all of San Diego County (though not always the strongest). It works best on NW and WNW winds, depending upon season and conditions. SE, S, and SW winds work here as well, though they aren't as frequent. The wind here also tends to be affected less by thermal variations (due to the bay), creating very steady winds, and the large beach area is very forgiving.
In addition, one can choose to do a "downwinder" all the way down to Imperial Beach (over 3 miles). Since there is no road access to the beach between the two, a case of the wind dying, or equipment breakdown, means its going to be a good walk.
The ikitesurf.com wind sensor for Silver Strand is located on top of the lifeguard tower. Being up off the water, this sensor tends to read a bit higher wind than there really is, especially when the wind velocity is under 15 MPH. Higher than that, and it seems to be about right.
Water Surface Conditions: Being on the Pacific Ocean, the beach itself is exposed to all ocean swells. As there are no reefs here (and the water deep), the waves tend to come in fast, and frequently close out with extreme force about 100 yards out, regardless of size. Occasional wave rides can still be had. Typical surf on any given day is chest high, though mid winter can be double overhead plus, and mid summer can be nearly flat. The surface tends to "blow out" easily, and whitecaps tend to show even when there's barely any wind at the beach.
A crowded day in July, 2005
On the bay side locations, all winds except Santa Ana ENE winds are attenuated by the land and buildings, requiring a very windy day to generate ridable wind, which is very rare. NW and WNW winds tend to blow nearly dead offshore here and S or SW winds blow side shore, with lots of holes until you are out in the bay itself. A better choice would be to ride at J-Street Marina, which has much cleaner wind in these conditions. Santa Ana winds tend to blow side onshore here, but being Santa Ana's, the wind itself is usually quite gusty, and on and off, making for challenging riding.
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