What to Bring
The full packing list for a day on the Ocean Beach volleyball courts — starting with the net, because there isn't one waiting for you.
Ocean Beach gives you poles and sand. Everything else is on you. There is no rental hut, no equipment shed, and no shop on the beach — the nearest place to buy anything is a few blocks up on Newport Avenue, and it won’t be selling volleyball nets.
The three items marked essential below are the ones that decide whether you play at all.
Beach volleyball net
The whole thing hinges on this. There are poles at OB but no nets — if nobody in your group brings one, nobody plays.
Boundary lines
Sold separately from most nets. Without lines you'll spend the afternoon arguing about whether that was in.
Shallow line weights
Loose lines wander all afternoon once the breeze comes up. Note that deep anchoring is prohibited at OB — use weighted or shallow anchors, not screw-in augers.
Outdoor volleyball
An indoor ball turns to concrete in the sun and takes the skin off your forearms. Get one made for sand.
Reef-safe sunscreen
You're facing west with sand reflecting straight back up at you. Sport formulas survive sweat; reef-safe keeps it out of the water you're standing next to.
Sunglasses strap
A dig with your face is how sunglasses get buried forever.
Insulated water bottle
There's no shade at the poles and no water fountain closer than the bathrooms. Bring more than you think.
Sand socks
August sand at 2pm will genuinely burn your feet. These are the difference between playing and hopping.
Beach canopy
For all-day sessions. Check current City of San Diego beach rules on shade structures before you set one up.
A realistic packing list
Non-negotiable
- Net, lines, and a ball
- Water — more than you think, there’s no fountain at the poles
- Sunscreen, reapplied
Makes the day much better
- Shallow line weights, if it’s blowing at all — deep anchoring is prohibited here
- Sand socks in high summer
- A towel and a change of clothes for the drive home
- Cash, in case the place you end up at after is card-shy
Leave at home
- Glass of any kind — not allowed on the sand
- Indoor volleyballs
- Anything you’d be upset to find buried
Setting up
Pick a free pair of poles on one of the public courts (#1–#3 or #11–#14), string your net between them, and run your lines out to a rough regulation footprint. Nobody at OB is going to measure it.
Two things the city is specific about: deep anchoring is prohibited, so hold your lines down with shallow or weighted anchors rather than screw-in augers; and freestanding portable net systems aren’t allowed in the permanent court area at all — your net goes between the existing poles.
Take everything with you when you leave, including your lines. Equipment can’t be left overnight, and anything abandoned at the poles is gone.