The Oceanside Harbor
Posted 05-26-2016 at 06:06 PM by NorthCountySDGal
Hey All:
I'm attempting to write up some short vignettes about things that are cool about Oceanside. I really feel like this area gets an undeserved bad rap so in an effort to combat that. . . I wanted to talk about the Oceanside Harbor.
Oceanside is the only city between San Diego proper and Orange County with a harbor. It has a small commercial fishing fleet but the vast majority of the slips are for recreational boaters. It currently has about 900 slips.
The Harbor came about in the 60s due to an issue the city had with Camp Pendleton. Pendleton had built a long jetty in the 40s out into the ocean just north of Oceanside. Over the years it had caused the sand to migrate from the beach and Oceanside was saddled with a major problem with beach erosion. Due in large part to the mayor of Oceanside at the time, Irwin Sklar, the government agreed to help finance a small boat harbor south of the jetty, to help remedy the erosion problem. In fact, it helped that problem, but did not fully correct it, but nonetheless, Oceanside gained a harbor.
The city followed soon after with a Cape Cod style Harbor Village, complete with lighthouse. The village has lots of souvenir shops and many restaurants. There are of course several seafood places and a Baja style Mexican seafood restaurant that also offers live music and dancing. On a trip to Harbor Village you can also find pizza, ice cream and candy.
For those who would like to enjoy the water, there are many different water sports that can be tried in the harbor. They offer rental equipment and lessons in paddle boarding, sailing, surfing, kayaking, etc. There is also a family owned business called Helgren's Sportfishing that offers tours of all kinds including whale watching and fishing tours out of the harbor.
If you love wildlife, you will enjoy the sights with the many pelicans flying around, as well as other sea birds, and occasionally dolphins and whales passing through. The most entertaining wildlife is the sea lions that populate the harbor. They love to lounge around, bask in the sun and play with one another. They are a lot of fun to watch!
My favorite part of the harbor is the Harbor Beach just west of the harbor. It is quite simply one of the best beaches in San Diego. It is really wide, not usually very crowded, has great amenities such as restrooms, outdoor showers, picnic pavilions, BBQs and a snack shop. There are also many fire rings on the beach for those nighttime bonfires.
Next time you're in Oceanside, come out to the harbor and check it out. There's a lot to see and do and you'll be glad you did.
Check out the video attached for lots of great shots of the harbor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEE13ChUpfg
Kelly Tanner, Realtor
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
Serving North County San Diego
760-696-8180
I'm attempting to write up some short vignettes about things that are cool about Oceanside. I really feel like this area gets an undeserved bad rap so in an effort to combat that. . . I wanted to talk about the Oceanside Harbor.
Oceanside is the only city between San Diego proper and Orange County with a harbor. It has a small commercial fishing fleet but the vast majority of the slips are for recreational boaters. It currently has about 900 slips.
The Harbor came about in the 60s due to an issue the city had with Camp Pendleton. Pendleton had built a long jetty in the 40s out into the ocean just north of Oceanside. Over the years it had caused the sand to migrate from the beach and Oceanside was saddled with a major problem with beach erosion. Due in large part to the mayor of Oceanside at the time, Irwin Sklar, the government agreed to help finance a small boat harbor south of the jetty, to help remedy the erosion problem. In fact, it helped that problem, but did not fully correct it, but nonetheless, Oceanside gained a harbor.
The city followed soon after with a Cape Cod style Harbor Village, complete with lighthouse. The village has lots of souvenir shops and many restaurants. There are of course several seafood places and a Baja style Mexican seafood restaurant that also offers live music and dancing. On a trip to Harbor Village you can also find pizza, ice cream and candy.
For those who would like to enjoy the water, there are many different water sports that can be tried in the harbor. They offer rental equipment and lessons in paddle boarding, sailing, surfing, kayaking, etc. There is also a family owned business called Helgren's Sportfishing that offers tours of all kinds including whale watching and fishing tours out of the harbor.
If you love wildlife, you will enjoy the sights with the many pelicans flying around, as well as other sea birds, and occasionally dolphins and whales passing through. The most entertaining wildlife is the sea lions that populate the harbor. They love to lounge around, bask in the sun and play with one another. They are a lot of fun to watch!
My favorite part of the harbor is the Harbor Beach just west of the harbor. It is quite simply one of the best beaches in San Diego. It is really wide, not usually very crowded, has great amenities such as restrooms, outdoor showers, picnic pavilions, BBQs and a snack shop. There are also many fire rings on the beach for those nighttime bonfires.
Next time you're in Oceanside, come out to the harbor and check it out. There's a lot to see and do and you'll be glad you did.
Check out the video attached for lots of great shots of the harbor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEE13ChUpfg
Kelly Tanner, Realtor
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
Serving North County San Diego
760-696-8180
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