Wintertime Santa Monica Beach

In the peak summer months of July, August and September, Santa Monica Beach is a crowded bustling playground for hundreds of thousands of beachgoers, Californians and tourists alike. Swimming, body surfing, surf boarding, bogey boarding, sun tanning, socializing, pick-up volleyball, bike riding, skate boarding, rollar skating, in-line skating, jogging, kite-flying and old-fashioned picnicking are all part of the Action. With its cool fresh breeze off the Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica beach is the Great Escape from the summer heat of Inland LA. A place where LA comes to relax, show off and have fun.In the cool, sometimes stormy winter months of January and February, everything changes. The cool almost empty beach attracts pelicans, sandpipers, seagulls and snowy plovers and in the sea, with only a few surfers, dolpins play in the winter waves and surf. Nature re-asserts itself and the few people wandering about are dressed in sweaters, hats and windbreakers.The summer bustle and crowds give way to a more contemplative and thoughtful experience. Strong winds, the cries of seabirds, variable weather and an ocean that has turned dark blue.Wintertime Santa Monica Beach.................