Commonly called violet sea-snails or purple bubble raft snails, Janthina janthina is a creature you’re more likely to find in Aruba than Ocean Beach, but one beachcomber found a half dozen of the shells along …
March 2, 2017
Ocean Beach News & Stories
Sharks and violet snails come ashore in O.B.
Cat slash mystery
Early Friday evening (February 24) around 4:30 p.m., Kimm McLaughlin left her cat Hula in her courtyard on West Point Loma/Mentone for “less than a minute” to run inside to use the restroom. When she …
February 28, 2017
Coffee's king rankles in Ocean Beach
The Starbucks on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach recently posted a sign that directed non-customers to use restrooms at nearby businesses. When the sign was posted on the restroom door earlier this week, someone asked …
February 18, 2017
The happiest place on earth, if you’re a dog
It is hard to say who has more fun when watching the dogs and their humans play. Dog Beach, in Ocean Beach (O.B. to locals), was established in 1972 and has become a required destination …
February 15, 2017
Longtime local business closes on Newport Avenue
After 16 years, Lola Luna women’s clothing boutique in Ocean Beach will close its doors at the end of February, as they have opted to not renew their lease. Owner Kimberly Johnson and longtime employee …
February 11, 2017
Post-rain O.B. bluff crumble
Two properties just south of the Ocean Beach Pier lost their bluffs over the weekend, dropping large boulders, wooden planks, and debris on the sandstone below. Pelican Point apartment complex, located at 5107 Narragansett Avenue, …
January 30, 2017
Interview with a dreamcatcher maker
Before heading out of O.B. to a gem show in Arizona, Christian Fischer explained how he became a fabricator of dreamcatchers. “I moved out here from Wisconsin and there was a point where I felt …
January 20, 2017
Putting the new in Newport
Keeping the O.B. vibe intact was a priority when Noodle House owner Steve Yeng bought the beach bar Gallagher’s and renamed it the Holding Company last May. After all, that was the name of the …
January 18, 2017
Little Miss Brewing moving into Normal Heights and O.B.
Since before Little Miss Brewing began churning out beers from its Miramar brewhouse in August, the plan was to open a satellite tasting room in a San Diego urban neighborhood. Now, as the business hits …
January 17, 2017
Ambitious slack-liners under O.B. Pier
Last week, what looked like red "caution" tape was strung up between two pilings at the far end of the Ocean Beach Pier, a few feet above the water line. “No there wasn’t any danger…someone …
January 15, 2017
American Hero at Different Stages
Three recruits train for a new job. Brash Jamie’s in a custody battle for her three children; timid Sheri works the night shift at El Taco but needs a day-job, too, and sleeps at most …
January 9, 2017
O.B. graffiti queen not too Sharpie
In early October 2016, residents in Ocean Beach began complaining on Facebook about graffiti that started appearing everywhere around town. “Has anyone been noticing this 'Mama Bear' person tagging up the seawall and memorial benches …
January 4, 2017
Can't you smell that smell in Ocean Beach?
Residents in Ocean Beach and Loma Portal woke up this morning (December 22) to a mysterious odor hanging in the damp air. Over the course of an hour, dozens of people reported the smell via …
December 22, 2016
Sounds of freedom from Fishbone
“The very first time Fishbone played the Belly Up,” recalls bassist Norwood Fisher, “our [former] guitarist Kendall Jones jumped up and cracked his cranium on the side of one of the hanging speakers during our …
December 21, 2016
Finding Wonderland
“If you want to go to a real beach bar, you go to the Pennant or the Beachcomber. If you want to go to a real beach bar that serves good food, you hit up …
December 19, 2016
Shot at the O.B. pier the old-fashioned way
On Monday morning (December 12), Scott Basile was set up with an unusual camera to take photos of the pier in Ocean Beach. “I was just about to pour another plate and get it rolling …
December 13, 2016
O.B. park treehouse lacked only walls
San Diego County’s Regional Task Force on Homeless estimated in January 2016 that there were 8692 homeless people in San Diego. And while many are living in tents and on sidewalks, Ocean Beach has some …
December 9, 2016
City workers' sa-weet O.B. Pier gig
The summer of 2014 in Ocean Beach was hot, the water was unusually warm, dolphins were leaping out of the water, and fishermen were having a heyday, filling their buckets with everything from mackerel to …
December 8, 2016
Musicians, hippies, and travelers in Ocean Beach
For some travelers, hope is the worst drug out there.
December 7, 2016
Property owners to shore up Bermuda Beach bluff
The owners of three buildings above an Ocean Beach pocket beach known as Bermuda Beach are set to pay a mitigation fee of $82,000 for beach they hope won’t be created by bluff collapse. The …
December 2, 2016