Silver Strand

The Silver Strand is the beach that lies along the long spit that forms San Diego Bay.  It extends from Imperial Beach on the south to the harbor entrance at the north.

Because of the sheltering effect of Point Loma, sediment transport along this beach is northerly (drift is generally to the south on the southern California coast).

AERIAL VIEW

The original spit was narrow and subject to overwash into the bay, but nourishment has resulted in a much more robust feature, albeit one with a high long-term maintenance cost (and a cost that may increase disproportionately with rising sea levels).

Besides the large Zuninga jetty at the north end, there are numerous other structures, including a couple of groins in Imperial Beach and the old rock structure(s) in front of the Hotel del Coronado, which I noted in an earlier post (Coronado). There is a large state beach (Silver Strand, of course), the Navy's Amphibious Base (they were doing a beach landing when I drove past), the highrises just south of the old hotel (the whole development is pushed much too far seaward), and the big Naval Air Station at North Island.

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