At around lunch time on a weekday, people were parked facing the ocean, eating their lunches in the warmth of their cars. It wasn’t as cold as it looked, but most people relaxing on the sand were bundled in sweatshirts, sipping coffee. Very few ventured out into the frigid water, aside from the handful of surfers donning full wetsuits, out at the north end of the beach. The waves aren’t huge, but they are decent, and signs along the sea wall warn of the dangers of the ocean’s strong currents here. The water is not clear, but it’s typical for a Northern California beach, and not very polluted. The sand is soft and yellow and fairly clean, though sometimes dog walkers don’t pick up after their pet or irresponsible visitors leave trash. Ocean Beach is also a good place to find intact sand dollars and sea shells.