South Mission Beach

Located on the southern part of the Mission Beach neighborhood in the city of San Diego, South Mission Beach is situated on the ocean side of a peninsula adjacent to the inland Mission Bay. South Mission Beach is not to be confused with another separate and more popular beach with a similar name called Mission Beach, which is situated further up north. South Mission Beach is wide and has light brown sand, and the water here is calm due to the presence of Mission BayJetty nearby. 

A grassy park is also present to the south of the beach. South Mission Beach offers numerous amenities including lifeguards, showers, restrooms, walking paths, volleyball and basketball courts, and concession stands – and the nearby grassy park has picnic areas. South Mission Beach allows dogs on a leash before 9 am and after 6 pm from April to October and before 9 am and after 4 pm from November to March. 

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.

Getting to South Mission Beach is easy - it's located near 2500 North Jetty Road. There is a large free parking lot along the Mission Bay Jetty. However, we recommend visiting early as this lot often fills up quickly.

There are many attractions near South Mission Beach. Belmont Park is an amusement park that offers a number of exciting rides, a gaming arcade, and a restaurant – it also features the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster which was built in 1925 and is a part of the US National Register of Historic Places. Mission Bay Park is a large 4,500-acre aquatic park located in the nearby inland Mission Bay. The park features numerous amenities including picnic spots, grassy playgrounds, water play areas, watersports, and watercraft rental shops, volleyball and softball diamonds – and also offers numerous activities including fishing, swimming, picnicking, and boating. SeaWorld San Diego offers excellent and interesting exhibits featuring a variety of unique marine animals including dolphins, sharks, otters, and orcas, and also offers exciting animal shows and presentations.

If you get hungry, there are many great nearby restaurants. Saska’s is an upscale restaurant offering a charming vintage ambiance and serving delicious steaks and seafood dishes. Cannonball was given Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Award in 2020 – it offers a pleasant oceanfront dining experience and serves great sushi and sashimi. Another nearby restaurant is the modestly priced Pappalecco which offers excellent breakfast dishes, pasta, pizzas, and gelato.

If you are looking for a hotel near South Mission Beach, there are many great options nearby. The 4-Star Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa And Marina offer many amenities including a restaurant, bars, live music performances, a pool with cabanas, water slides, a fitness center, a hot tub, watercraft rentals, and a spa. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Wyndham Garden San Diego near SeaWorld which offers numerous amenities including a pool, lounge bar, a hot tub, fitness center, and a restaurant. Another good and affordable option is the modestly priced 2-Star Heritage Inn San Diego which offers a variety of amenities including a pool, a hot tub, and complimentary breakfast.