Are you looking for things to see and do at California beaches this winter? Maybe you are attending a conference in San Diego, Long Beach, San Francisco or Ventura, perhaps. Bring the family along--they won't be bored, guaranteed!

California Beaches Winter Things to See & Do:

1. Watch Surf Contests. Held throughout the year, the winter is an exciting time for scholastic competitions especially. School teams and surfing associations such as Surf America, National Scholastic Surfing Association and Western Association of Surfing all have beach events to see in California during the winter months. One of the biggest surfing contests in the world, Mavericks, has an open window between January and March as invited surfers wait for the big waves to come to the San Mateo County Coast, and for the event to be announced.

2. Ice Skating. You wouldn't think that the warm, sandy Cal beaches would be a likely spot to find ice skating, but it is. There's nothing more breathtaking than ice skating with the Pacific Ocean as your backdrop. Pictured is the annual, seasonal ice rink at Hotel del Coronado near San Diego.

3. Island hopping. Catalina Island, Channel Islands National Park (pictured) and in San Francisco both Angel Island and Alcatraz Island offer great escapes with beaches, bays and plenty of things to see and do. Bird and nature watching are among the favorites at the Channel Islands where you can kayak, hike, dive and even camp. On Catalina there's a zipline, kayak rentals and a glass bottom boat tour where you can see the spectacular sea life. On Alcatraz Island there are nature walks with docents around the island, in addition to tours inside the former prison.