We Love Ocean Park Beach in Santa Monica, CA

Written by Patrick at VolleyTribe

The founders of VolleyTribe, Rachel and Patrick,  love to play beach volleyball! This should be no secret and we are lucky to be able to start a business around our passion. The mission of VolleyTribe is to bring the sport and all the amazing lifestyle perks that come with playing to more communities across the globe.

Rachel is from a town just outside of Boston and I, Patrick, was born and raised in Los Angeles. I’ve always spent a lot of time on the beach but was more into surfing and a little known sport called skim boarding. When I started to play in 2017 at the age of 27, I realized that I was missing out big time! Playing has been a major part of my life since then. 

 I have always enjoyed Santa Monica and the lifestyle it embodies. In fact growing up my dad would always say that people come from all across the world to vacation in Santa Monica, so appreciate life here like it’s a vacation. The energy is fun, healthy, and it seems the weather is always great.

 There are many beaches up and down Santa Monica. The volleyball courts that my friends and I usually end up at are considered Ocean Park North. Showing up there on any given day Rachel and I can look around and recognize most everyone who is out playing in the sand. This is our community. The nets are well maintained, the sand is perfect, and the sunsets can blow up. There is a need for more courts though.. The weekends there are packed with players and all courts seem to be taken by 7:30 am. It would be nice for someone to organize a VolleyFund Campaign to finance more courts being built (hint hint). If Ocean Park is full we find ourselves migrating to Sorrento Beach about a mile North of the Santa Monica pier. Courts are usually readily available.

 Santa Monica has actually been credited as the official birthplace of Beach Volleyball in 1924. The first courts we established in Santa Monica and it helped kick off the sport. There is an extremely rich history of professional players that played and trained in Santa Monica. 

 In Santa Monica there are many beach parking lots to support the many visitors each day. There is another perk of playing there. It’s the Santa Monica annual beach parking pass. This is one of the best deals in town. This pass gives you unlimited parking at 9 different all day parking lots from sunrise to sunset. One lot, just north of the Santa Monica pier, allows you to park till 2am. This is perfect for the challenge courts at the pier after sunset under the lights.

 Have you been to Santa Monica to play? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Santa Monica beach volleyball scene. Where are some of your favorite places to play? Rachel and I are into traveling and try to sneak in some volleyball wherever we go. Give us some ideas for great volleyball destinations. 

 Thank you for taking the time to read this!