Carlsbad State Beach Jetty — Attraction in Carlsbad

Carlsbad State Beach Jetty, the beach with many names...aka Tamarack State Beach & Tamarack Surf Beach, has some really cool attributes, but unfortunately a couple negatives, as well.

First the good stuff...

1. Primo surfing beach, as I believe the taper of the sand here, allows waves to build a bit larger than the average, & cascade & tube up, fairly close to shore. This is a bonus for a beach known by so many names, that this so-called surf photographer/ nature photographer dug. It was another hideous June gloomy day, but the pics I got here, on 6/15/23 were nice. This was my first time out of the gate, with my new camera, & the verdict is: Yeah...Bob likes it!

Passing Tamarack Drive, while heading South, on Carlsbad Blvd, will be your tip-off, to begin looking for the wide paved downhill entrance to this beach, which is revered by young surfers,& Boogie Boarders, with some skills & a bit of a wild streak in them, which prods them to carve up some waves.

The steep taper, down to the water here, is not ideal, for small children, since some fairly good sized shore breakers will creep in, on occasion, which I saw today. They'll knock someone off their feet, like this little boy, I watched, get drilled by a close roller. I saw this lil'guy give it a go, only to be pummeled to the sand, by a wave🤞that had this tiny guy keeping his options open, for some Costco shopping with Mom, later on.

I saw a lone sea lion, poke its head above water, right in the middle, between waves blasting by the line of surfers, plus a solitary cormorant, busy searching & diving for fish, at, or near, the edge of the waves.

1. Now the negatives ...even though there are plenty of parking spaces here, except during peak summer months, the spots come with $15 price tag, so you better stay a couple hours, to make it worth your while. This State Beach, doesn't, accept Diner's club, for payment. Unlike most beaches in the vicinity, where you can pay by the hour, Carlsbad State Beach Jetty will cost you some real dough, to park at.

The sand here is deep, plus it's also quite a ways, from the parking lot, to the water. For a dude like me, who's getting up there, both in people & Doggie years, it's a slog, all the way out, to the cusp, where the sand falls downward, toward the surfline

Fortunately, the good outweighed the bad for me, so I drug myself out there, & really enjoyed my time,...

It was a beautiful sunset watching location, and paid parking spots were simple to find... Cost (about) $15 to get an evening pass if you go closer to sunset time (and want to park in parking area, otherwise lots of free street parking, however gets filled pretty quick at evening time). Cool spot to watch evening surfers, and waves, and sunset, and all around nice nostalgic...

The beach was perfect for watching surfers, animal /wildlife sightings and had lifeguards on duty at all times. It was beautiful here. One tip of advice get to beach early because the parking lot Is limited, and it's pay for x hours parking machine onsite. Ensure you bring everything you need with you food/shade/chairs/ice chest (there were restrooms here but...