bottom line is so cal beach swimming is good from May-Sept. with some very nice days in the other months that you can choose at your own discretion, but you probably won't be swimming in the ocean. the navy seals train at Coronado bay near San Diego and they freeze there a$$ off and many of them suffer from hypothermia from being in the water too long during the winter months and even fall. granted they're in the ocean a lot longer than you will be, but the point is 55 degree water is not tourist or leisure-time swimming water. it's for navy seals and surfers with wet suits. stick to the summer.

For the OC beach weather and surf report, check out Surfline.com report at http://www.surfline.com/surf-report/newport-pier-southern-ca…

You'll see lots of interesting stuff, tides, water and air temps, wave height, weather expectations, storm photos, web cams and others.

Harrison K. Long, Explore Group properties, Coldwell Banker Previews.

Wouldn't that be nice! We do have warm weather for a large portion of the year but it also gets cold here, and sometimes rains too! We have more nice weather then bad though, which is the reason so many people love California.

Yes you can swim in Manhattan Beach all year round, but it gets cold during the winter months. Most swimmers don’t stay in the water long during the winter.
The surfers love the winter months, but we must wear a wetsuit. I’ve been surfing Manhattan Beach (30th Street) since 1987. In the winter I wear a 4/3 fullsuit which is 4mm neoprene for some parts of the suit, 3mm neoprene for other parts. I often wear booties too. My fingers get numb if I stay too long and I get an ‘ice-cream headache’ when I duck dive.
The LA county lifeguards have a good website with lots of information about air, water, wind, swell, and tide information.
http://www.watchthewater.org/beach.cfm?bid=43

Yes that's right. We have fantastic weather and blue Pacific ocean water hear all year long. We can swim in the ocean from about March through November. Then we get cold in December, and the ocean temp gets down to 55 degrees. Only guys you see out then are the young and brave surfers with heavy wet suits. If you are interested to buy here in South OC or California, let us know. We are here to help.

Harrison K. Long
949-854-7747
For The Best Property Search web site http://www.BuyersExploreHomes.com

Lenore- That's why we love Southern California.. weather is much better...

Not in Northern California. In fact, the beaches in Northern California offer surf that is too dangerous for swimming - the undertow is lethal. The water averages around 50 degrees and without a wetsuit, one can't stay in it for any amount of time. Think Mavericks - the international surfing contest. That's held right here in San Mateo County, the first County south of San Francisco. There is a reason for those waves and they are not swimmer friendly. If you want to swim in the ocean in California head as far south as you can to San Diego and then the water is warmer and the surf calmer.

I'm in the water from March to November. The beach is enjoyed year round but only the full wetsuit-clad brave ones dare the winter months in the ocean

You can certainly enjoy the beach all year even in winter. We have a lot of days in the 70's during the winter months with lots of sunshine. The beaches are lovely during the fall and winter months as the skies are usually clear and the beaches are not crowded. The water does get cold.. but my nieces who live in Colorado are often here for Thanksgiving and they hit the water everytime. Usually though if you are going to try to swim or surf in the winter a wet suit is advisable.

The simple answer is "no". California has winter just like everyone else. It's just that our winter is very mild in comparison. In the winter the water temp drops into the 50's in comparision to the summer when the water is in the 60's. The best beach months are May - September with some good days in March, April and October. In Southern California, we rarely see temps below 50 in the winter at the beach and in good beach months temps are usually in the 80's.