Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:Imperial Beach, California
You can almost make a run for the border on Imperial Beach, located a short drive from downtown San Diego and a matter of minutes from Mexico. Situated on the borderlands of Southern California and Old Mexico, Imperial Beach straddles the cultural (and economic) divide with dignity. If you stand on the beach and look south, you can see Tijuana's famous "Bullring by the Sea" monument on the Mexican side. Then look west toward the endless horizon of the deep, blue Pacific. Shortboard surfers ride the summer swells near the Imperial Beach pier, fishermen cast their lines into the well-stocked waves, while swimmers enjoy a lifeguarded, "swimmer's only" stretch of surf. Hundreds of thousands of spectators and sand sculptors crowd onto Imperial Beach's three miles of superb sands for the yearly U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition, held in late July. True to its name, Imperial Beach transforms into a strip of regal sand creations from ornate castles and gargoyles to dinosaurs and fire-breathing dragons. Any time of year, Imperial Beach is the best place to stroll along the most southwestern reaches of U.S. sand.
The Imperial Beach Pier, originally built in 1909, once held a strange machine known locally as the "Edwards Wave Motor." Hoping to harness the power of the Pacific to generate electricity, the machine was a failure. But with its removal came the revitalization of Imperial Beach Pier. Today the nearly 1, 500-foot structure is a lovely place to take in the wide expanses of sea against blue sky. Imperial Beach anglers, who boast about their catches at the pier, cast inshore to snag surfperch, California corbina, yellowfin croaker, thornbacks, and halibut. Word has it that the best fishing is about half way out on the pier, just before the upward slope. Imperial Beach also has fish-cleaning stations to prepare dinner for the frying pan. Hang out on Imperial Beach Pier long enough and you'll likely spot a couple of fishermen engaging in that wild, border-waters sport, bow and arrow fishing. But surfers beware: Arrows often fly around the inshore surf.
Arrows aside, surfers always have good things to say about the waves at Imperial Beach. The San Diego area has some of the best sandbars and summer's medium tides generally produce the best swells. Generally, the water quality at Imperial Beach is fit for swimming and surfing, but there have been occasional problems with waste from Mexico polluting the Imperial Beach waters. To put your mind at ease, double check at the lifeguard station. Parking at Imperial Beach is plentiful and traffic is rarely an issue. For a vacation of sand castle building, swimming, surfing, fishing, and sunning this side of the border, Imperial Beach is a noble selection.