San Diego and So Cal beaches

[dylankrapf]

Hey all,
I'm visiting southern California tomorrow for the next week and was hoping to get some info from some locals...

Do all the beaches have beach wheelchairs for us to use for the day or is that just a NJ thing?
Are there any companies that rent hand-cycles and/or off-road wheelchairs in or around San Diego or Santa Anna / LA area?

For some reason I just thought of posting the day before I leave... any info would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers

[gjnl]

This from the California Coastal commission:
Beach Wheelchairs are equipped with large, wide wheels which can roll across the sand without sinking. They usually require users to be accompanied by someone pushing them, although several California locations offer motorized chairs which may be self-propelled.

All of the beaches listed below lend wheelchairs free of charge. Users may be asked to leave a form of personal identification while borrowing the chair. Chairs are most commonly available from a lifeguard or the entrance kiosk at a beach, although a few are handled by concessionaires whose names appear on the list. Some may be reserved ahead of time, while others are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Call ahead for availability.
San Diego County
* Imperial Beach, Imperial Beach (motorized chair), (619) 685-7972
* Silver Strand State Beach, Coronado (motorized chair), (619) 435-0126
* Coronado City Beach (motorized & manual chairs), (619) 522-7346
* Ocean Beach, San Diego, (619) 525-8247 or (619) 221-8899
* Mission Beach, San Diego (motorized & manual chairs), (619) 525-8247 or (619) 980-0275
* South Pacific Beach, San Diego, (619) 525-8247 or (619) 221-8899
* La Jolla Shores Beach, La Jolla, (619) 525-8247 or (619) 221-8899
* Torrey Pines State Beach, San Diego (at the South Beach Kiosk), (858) 755-1275
* Del Mar City Beach, (858) 755-1556
* San Elijo State Beach, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, (760) 753-5091
* Moonlight Beach, Encinitas, (760) 633-2750
* South Carlsbad State Beach, Carlsbad, (760) 438-3143
* Oceanside City Beach (motorized & manual chairs), (760) 435-4018
* Harbor Beach, Oceanside, (760) 435-4018
* San Onofre State Beach, San Onofre, (949) 492-7414
For information about beach wheelchairs north of San Diego County, visit:
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/access/beach-wheelchairs.html

A little more info on the power beach chairs:
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/pres...reak-93874.php

Try an internet search for "handcycle rentals San Diego."

Have a great vacation.
All the best,
GJ

[SCI-Nurse]

Keep in mind also that we are having a classic "June Gloom" weather pattern right now in Southern CA. Cool and cloudy at all the beaches and inland for a few miles all day long, beach temperatures in the low 60s, with water temperatures in the 50s. Pretty cold for getting into the water, much less laying out at the beach.

(KLD)

[Tonko's Mom]

It's been a few years since we were in San Diego but there were a few beaches with power beach chairs then. Here is a link about this and how to reserve.
http://www.sandiego.org/article/Visitors/1667
Have you tried sailing? Challenged America has a great program.
http://challengedamerica.org/

Have a blast! I love So Cal.

[markg]

It's been some time but Mission Beach did have the beach chairs -- and while it's not perfect, it was worth the effort just to have the ocean wind in my face. I'm also a huge fan of Challenged America if someone can possibly fit it in. It's a sweet program. I'm a C5 C6 quad and I went there knowing absolutely nothing about sailing only to leave San Diego and their program bitten by the sailing bug.

[wheelchair traveler]

I did sailing with Challenged America, so awesome! Here's an article on beach wheelchairs in San Diego.

[dylankrapf]

Thanks everyone! Having that info at hand ensured I had a beach wheelchair at every beach we went to from San Diego to Coronado and Huntington, and Dana Point. I wish I saw the posts for Challenged America before I left - that sounds like a ton of fun.

Cheers

[sjean423]

dylan, I plan on being in that area soon ...

Did you call ahead to reserve the wheelchairs?

Any other suggestions for me to be sure to do?

Thanks! Glad you had a good time.

[dylankrapf]

sjean,

I only called ahead to Doheny beach, but it wasn't necessary. Maybe it was timing, but it didn't seem like the chairs were used much.

Bring someone strong with you if you get the ordinary push chairs, or just go to the beaches with motorized ones. Some beaches, such as Huntington, had only old and beaten up chairs that aren't soo easy to push or maneuver.

Coronado island is a must. Beautiful beaches nice motorized beach wheelchairs and the whole island is very accessible. It seems that the more rich people around, the better experience regarding accessibility.

Have fun.

cheers

[sjean423]

Thanks Dylan, I will have hubby and/or adult kids w. me, so a push chair will work when only available, but I really look forward to propelling myself on the beach. Coronado is #1 on my list.