Windansea Beach

Windansea Beach is a stretch of coastline located in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, California. The neighborhood adjacent to the beach is named Windansea after the beach. It is named after the 1909 oceanfront Strand Hotel that was renamed "Windansea" Hotel in 1919 after the owner Arthur Snell ran a "naming contest". The Windansea Hotel which was located on Neptune Avenue between Playa del Sur and Playa del Norte burned down in 1943. Geographically, it is defined by the beachfront extending north of Palomar Avenue and south of Westbourne Street.Surf breaksThe main peak at Windansea is a reef break. During the winter months, Windansea can have six-to-eight foot surf. Other breaks in the vicinity of Windansea include Middles, Turtles, Simmons (named after Bob Simmons who died at that break in 1954) and Big Rock.The Windansea ShackThe distinguishing landmark at Windansea is a palm-covered shack that was originally constructed in 1946 by Woody Ekstrom, Fred Kenyon and Don Okey. "The Surf Shack at Windansea Beach" was designated as an historical landmark by the San Diego Historical Resources Board on May 27, 1998. The shack was struck down by large waves during a high tide on December 24, 2015 but rebuilt by locals in June 2016.Parking lot and public facilitiesThe Windansea parking lot is located along Neptune Place, between Nautilus and Bonair Streets. Although recently upgraded by the City of San Diego, it offers a limited number of parking spaces. Street parking is typically widely available. There are no drinking fountains, showers or public restrooms available.Surfing historyWindansea enjoys a storied reputation as a surfbreak, and has served as home break to many notable surfers, including Pat Curren, Mike Diffenderfer, Chris O'Rourke, Joey Cabell, Mickey Munoz and Butch Van Artsdalen. Steve Pezman, former publisher of Surfer magazine and current publisher of The Surfer's Journal, called Windansea locals in the early 1960s "the heaviest surf crew ever."