San Clemente Pier

The sand on either side of San Clemente's pier hosts the San Clemente Ocean Festival each July, including a one-mile swim along the pier and shoreline and lifeguard-style surf races off the north side. Surfers work the break by the pier, so give them room. Parking near the pier is very limited, and the San Clemente Pier train station makes Metrolink or Amtrak an easy alternative.

Directions

Photo: Don Ramey Logan · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Latest reading · SwimScore 77/100 (Good swim) for a typical swimmer: air 22°C, wind 15 km/h, waves 0.8 m, UV 8. Updated 23 Sept, 22:00 UTC.

Know before you go

Getting in: San Clemente Pier station (Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner) sits at the pier, and the 2.6-mile San Clemente Beach Trail runs past it between North Beach and Calafia State Beach.
Parking & transport: Parking at the pier is very limited.
Water quality: Orange County Health Care Agency's Ocean Water Protection Program (OC Beachinfo) samples for bacteria against state health standards and posts warnings and closures.
Who swims here: San Clemente Ocean Festival (July 18–19, 2026) at the pier: One Mile Ocean Swim along the pier and shoreline, a roughly 300-yard Surf Race and Run-Swim-Run on the north side of the pier, and a 1K swim/5K run biathlon; no wetsuits in swim events.
Watch for: Surfers use the pier break
Water quality can drop near runoff after rain

Sources: en.wikipedia.org, oceanfestival.org, oceanfestival.org, openwaterpedia.com, ocbeachinfo.com