Silver Strand Beach

Map of Silverstrand Beach (area inside the red lines).

Silverstrand Beach is an isolated beach neighborhood located in the city of Oxnard, California. It is bounded on the south/southwest by the Pacific Ocean and the waters of the Channel Islands Harbor; on the east by the United States Navy Base at Port Hueneme and on the north by Fisherman's Wharf and Channel Islands Boulevard.

Silverstrand, simply and more commonly referred to as " The Strand", is a vibrant collection of post-war homes, apartment buildings and multi-million dollar waterfront mansions. There is one small commercial district centered around the intersection of Victoria Avenue / Roosevelt Boulevard, and San Nicholas Avenue / Melrose Drive. It is home to a small collection of restaurants, bars and surf shops.

Silverstrand Beach is also credited as being the birthplace of the Nardcore style of hardcore punk music. Oxnard was the epicenter of the early 1980's hardcore punk scene in Southern California, and most of it's famous bands were from Silver Strand, most notable being Dr. Know and Agression.

Silverstrand is also home to the Oxnard base of the United States Coast Guard and the National Weather Service Oxnard operation which covers Los Angeles County, Ventura County, Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County.

The Beach

Silverstrand Beach is over a mile long, and is considered by many to be the best surfing beach in Oxnard. The geography of Silverstrand makes it a hot spot for all wintertime swell activity. This has led to publicized confrontations between surfers from out of the area and very territorial locals, the SSL, and has given Silver Strand a reputation as being unfriendly to outsiders.

Silver Strand Beach is broken up into 3 main peaks:

The Jetty

The Jetty is a popular spot for long boarders and tends to get the most size when the swell comes from the west. There is a parking lot facing the break, but it's unsafe to leave valuables inside your car if you don't live there. The wave has been bad due to improper sand dredging for the last year.

The Bowl

The Bowl is located in the center of Silverstrand Beach. During the Santa Ana Windy season, a northwest swell comes in and the waves ideal and heavily surfed. The Bowl is also the spot most frequented by the locals, and is notoriously unwelcoming to outsiders during this time.

The Ship

The Mural Wall at The Ship parking lot, Silverstrand Beach.

The Ship is located at the southernmost point of Silverstrand Beach. It is named after the ship La Janelle that sank in front of the break on April 13 1970. It created a sandbar that remains to this day. The Ship is where you are most likely to see WCT star Tim Curran in action when he is not on tour.

There is a very small parking lot facing the break, but the one way driveway leading into it is usually covered in deep sand and it is difficult for small cars to access it. There is also a wall which separates the parking lot from the Navy Base, and the wall is covered with popular artistic murals.

Points of Interest

• Quincy Street - a great place for ribs and desert.
• Big Daddy Os Beach BBQ & Catering
• Pepe's - a little burrito and taco place.
• Jetty Surf Cafe - a nice little breakfast and lunch place with a Hawaiian twist.
• The Corner Store - a little convenience store.
• Cheap Trinkets Skateshop
• The Beachcomber - a wine and beer bar.