Olde Port Beach
San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo County · California
Today's forecast
Updated 6:00 AM PT todayDawn is the clearest window. A late-morning onshore builds surface chop and gives up a few feet by the afternoon.
7-Day Forecast
Map · getting there
35.174° N · 120.748° W
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Open in Apple MapsAbout Olde Port Beach
Olde Port Beach, also known as Fisherman's Beach, is a sand beach inside Port San Luis Harbor, immediately east of the Harford Pier. A drive-down launch ramp sits at the east end of the parking area and reaches the waterline at low tide. Point San Luis to the southwest blocks the prevailing northwest swell, so the water is generally calm. Avila Beach is roughly one mile east along the shore, and Fossil Point is roughly two miles east, past Avila at the far end of the bay.
The sheltered harbor water, with reduced wave energy and tidal exchange, makes this a bay biome. The sand where small wind-chop waves break is a surf zone biome.
The ramp is the local kayak launch for paddles to Avila Beach and Fossil Point. Hook-and-line fishing is common from the ramp and from the rocks at the west end, and swimming and paddling are common in summer. The harbor shelter keeps surfing uncommon. Snorkeling is uncommon, there are no reports of scuba diving, and spearfishing is prohibited.
Parking at the ramp lot is free, with restrooms a few steps west of the ramp. Hook-and-line fishing from the ramp is legal under standard California regulations. Spearfishing is prohibited under California Code of Regulations Title 14 § 1.88, which closes the area within 1,000 feet of any public pier, and Olde Port Beach sits well within 1,000 feet of the base of the Harford Pier.
Bay
The bay biome is sheltered, low-energy water behind a jetty, headland, or harbor mouth. Reduced wave action lets fine sediment settle out and supports calm-water species and the juveniles that shelter there. Learn more about this biome and the species found in it by clicking the link below.
Learn more in the Biome Glossary
Surf Zone
The surf zone biome consists of sandy beaches and breaking waves. The action of surf disturbing the sand and kicking it up exposes marine invertebrates, buried in their shallow dens. This natural exposure of invertebrates attracts all kinds of fish, looking for an easy meal. Learn more about this biome and the species found in it by clicking the link below.
Learn more in the Biome GlossaryTarget Fish Species
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