Pismo Beaches

Pismo’s Beaches

Pismo’s beaches, immediately north and south of Pismo Beach Pier, are wide with very soft sand. The ocean floor there is also soft and sandy. This makes for a great family beach.

Pismo enjoys a pleasant climate year-round, making it the perfect place for outdoor recreation and exploring. Water temperatures range from the high 40s in late winter and early spring to the high 50s, and possibly even low 60s, at the end of summer. Check out the Ocean/Surf Report on our website.  If you’re ready to get into the water, we have a selection of shops for wetsuit, surfboard, and bodyboard rentals. If you can use a surf lesson before paddling out, lessons are available daily during the season and off season on weekends year-round. There are 13 sand volleyball courts north of the Pier at the foot of Wadsworth Street and 2 sand volleyball courts south of the Pier.

If you head north from our Downtown beach, you’ll enter the Shell Beach area, where things are quite different. The coastline changes into rock outcroppings with some small pockets of sandy beaches. This area is tide sensitive, so “know before you go.” Check the daily and monthly tides. At low tides, there are many excellent locations for tide pooling. There are some favorite locations for surfing during medium and higher tides in the winter time. Use caution at higher tides, when most of these beaches become a challenge to access. The bluff-top parks in the area allow everyone to enjoy the views, picnic, play, and relax.