Tourmaline Beach, San Diego, California

Tourmaline Surfing Park and Beach located at Pacific Beach is a locals style surfing beach with a small paved parking lot, restroom facilities, a small embankment to the sand, and commemorative plaques and benches to surfing legends such as Skeeter Malcolm.

Tourmaline Surfing Park at the end of Tourmaline Street in a neighborhood of oceanfront homes south of La Jolla and north of Crystal Pier spans about a mile of beachfront. A natural break delineates Pacific Beach and Tourmaline beaches region from La Jolla, clearly seen as coastal cliffs up to 75 feet high. A sidewalk traverses the cliff-top along much of the south end of the beach.

Tourmaline Surfing Park includes a public parking lot heavily used by surfers and sailboarders year round.

Restrooms and showers at the foot of Diamond Street and Law Street are maintained through the city of San Diego.

Skeeter loved sports and always tried to inspire other guys to get active and participate. From diving to fishing, boating to surfing, Skeeter's preference tended toward ocean & water sports, as it was in the ocean that he felt at home.

Once serving as a school principal, Skeeter Malcolm was a regular at Tourmaline Beach and left his mark with his positive attitude and passion for the Pacific Ocean.

and local legend, Skeeter Malcolm - Tourmalines are precious stones displaying a unique array of colors. Tourmaline (Beach) Surfing Park is a precious gem to surfers and locals who know this spot located on the northern end of Pacific Beach.

Tourmaline is accessible from Mission Boulevard. From La Jolla Boulevard turn left on Tourmaline Street to the public parking lot or search for limited on-street parking in residential areas.

Surfers who know the beach topography and wave action categorize this region as featuring three sections with different wave characteristics - The Cove, Pump House and Grimace Rock. Locals and old timers stand in the parking lot before and after they surf to say hello, answer tourist questions and even discuss business deals.

Skeeter Malcolm, a legendary local waterman surfed throughout his life until shortly before his death in 1993, at age 70. In his later years he presided over a group of fellow surfing old-timers at Sunset Cliffs, a few miles south of Tourmaline.

Malcolm's memory lives on, thanks to his friends who sold T-shirts with his picture on them so that they could pay for the tribute bronze plaque on a bench overlooking the waves.