Torrey Pines State Beach - South Beach offers many fun activities including swimming, sunbathing, beachcombing, swimming, surfing, paddleboarding, skimboarding, sailboarding, kite surfing, bodysurfing, boogie-boarding, kayaking, canoeing, boating, and wildlife watching. The best time for surfing in the water at Torrey Pines Beach - South Beach is during the winter when offshore winds offer some great surfing waves. However, if you are planning to go into the water near Torrey Pines State Beach - Surfing Beach, we recommend being careful as the water is known to have rip currents. Moreover, depending on the time of the year, authorities may allot separate areas for swimming/ bodyboarding and surfing, so it is advisable to look out for demarcating signs along the beach. The water near the beach is home to seals, sea lions, dolphins, migrating whales (January to March), and aquatic birds including gulls and pelicans. Torrey Pines State Beach - South Beach is a good fishing spot - you can catch a variety of fish here including surfperch, corbina, and halibut. There are a number of hiking trails present near the beach for exploring the unique flora and fauna of the 2,000-acre state park area around the beach. These trails can be used to explore the two natural preserves present near the beach - Los Peñasquitos Marsh Natural Preserve and Ellen Browning Scripps Natural Preserve which offers unique coastal scrubs and wetlands for exploration. The Visitor Center at Torrey Pines State Beach offers informative exhibits and a view into the state park’s unique natural history and geology, hosts informative docent-led nature hikes on weekends, and features a native plant garden.