South Mission Beach offers many activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, diving, skimboarding, paddle boarding, surfing, volleyball, basketball, kite surfing, sailboarding, swimming, biking, skateboarding, kayaking, canoeing, boating, wake surfing, jet skiing, and wildlife watching. The beach is less crowded than the neighboring Mission Beach, making the water here ideal for swimming and other watersports. However, during summers, city authorities designate separate swimming and surfing areas in the water near the beach, so it is advisable to look out for the marked boundaries on the beach shoreline. The water near the beach is home to seals, sea lions, dolphins, and migrating whales (between December to April). The southern part of the beach along the rocky Mission Bay Jetty is a great fishing spot and popular catches here include halibut and surfperches. You can also dive here – there is a series of shipwrecks a half-mile offshore that form an artificial reef near the beach and which can be explored by experienced divers. The Ocean Front Walk walkway runs parallel to the beach and is an ideal place for walking, biking, and roller skating, and rollerblading along the oceanfront. The walkway also features a number of stores, restaurants, and water sport and bike rentals.