Solimar Beach

Solimar Beach runs along Pacific Coast Highway about four miles north of downtown Ventura. The beach is narrow and the highway shoulder sits immediately inland of the sand. Most of the beach fronts the Solimar Beach Colony, a private gated residential community with two gates, east and west, that is closed to non-residents. The southern portion is open to the public, because no houses sit at that end and the sand is accessible from the highway shoulder. At the south end of the public segment, Solimar Reef, also called Solimar Point, is a triangular sand and cobble setup that produces a left point break on south and southwest swells at medium-to-high tides.

The cobble and sand shoreline with its breaking waves at the public segment is a surf zone biome. The triangular cobble and reef structure at Solimar Reef, with its low relief and patchy substrate, forms a rocky reef biome at the point itself.

Surfing at the public south end and at Solimar Reef is the dominant water use, and shore anglers work the cobble for surfperch. The limited relief of the inshore structure keeps snorkeling, scuba, and spearfishing uncommon.

Limited free shoulder parking lies along Pacific Coast Highway next to the public segment, and there are no restrooms on site. Non-residents cannot enter the Solimar Beach Colony itself. Fishing and spearfishing are legal on the public sand and the offshore water under standard California regulations.