"Imperial Beach" Top 5 Page for this destination South Bay Tip by lmkluque

Located about 14 miles south of downtown. Next to Coronado, IB is one of the least congested beaches from the San Diego downtown area.

By Car:
Drive south on Interstate 5 to Palm Avenue exit (There are two Palm exits, take the second one.) west; continue to Seacoast Drive and turn left.

Public transpotation:
Take the Trolley to Palm Avenue Trolley Station and from there take the 933 bus, which leaves about every half hour, to Seacoast Drive.

Known as "I B," this wide, sandy beach is popular with area residents, and it is great for swimming, surfing and land activities. The pier area is the site of the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition, which occurs every year in July, on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In 2011 the dates were July 22, 23 & 24, in 2012 the dates have not been announced yet.. More details about this event can be found at:
U.S. Open Sandcastle Contest.

Update:

Due to lack of funds in a struggling economy, the U.S. Sandcastle Contest has been suspended in Imperial Beach. Hopefully they will return in the coming years but I don't know. I did notice that last year there was a sort of Sandcastle Competition in I.B., but don't know that it will be an annual thing yet. I'll let you know when I find out.

The city of Imperial Beach has always had a "poor cousin" reputation in the county of San Diego, as far as beaches go, but there are some aspects to this beach that I think are interesting and worth a visit. The community of IB is working hard to offer the tourist a place to come, and one of the best things is that it is not too crowded, nor too expensive compared to the other beach areas.

There is a long history of surfing in IB, as some of the biggest waves on the California Coast can be found here and so can some of the best surfers be seen, if you come at the right times.

For more information about this Califronia beach town community, take a look at my Imperial Beach, California page.

I've given my impressions and hopefully an idea of why you might want to visit this part of San Diego.

Website: http://www.ci.imperial-beach.ca.us/