SAN DIEGO — What does summer in San Diego mean to you? More time at the beach with your toes in the sand and the surf? Taking visitors from out of town to all the attractions America's Finest City has to offer? Or just longer days to enjoy the city yourself?
These News 8 Throwback clips capture summer memories from the 1980s from La Jolla Shores to Mission Beach to many other summertime favorites.
The summer of 1981 in San Diego
Ahh summertime in San Diego...it just doesn't get any sweeter. Surfing, sunbathing, building sandcastles, volleyball, picnics, and OTL - over-the--line - all in this photo essay from the summer of 1981. The shorts may be a little shorter and styles have changed over the years, but summer in San Diego is the same as it's ever been. Welcome to summer 2021!
Profile on Hamel's in Mission Beach and its owners in 1983
News 8's Carlos Amezcua profiled Ray and Dan Hamel - the proprietors of Hamel's in Mission Beach - for this piece in 1983. The surf and skate shop was a staple of the area then and continues to be in 2021. Back then they rented bikes for cruising the boardwalk and sold swimsuits, skateboards and much more - today it's much of the same. News 8 did another profile on the Hamel brothers and the updated design of their building in 1995.
Summer begins in San Diego in 1986
On June 18, 1986, News 8's Lorraine Kimel went looking for the signs of summer in San Diego. She found them at La Jolla Shores - from sunbathers to wave riders to beach bikers. She asked some teen beach-goers what the best part of summer was; their answers included "the girls," "being out of school," and "laying on the beach."
La Jolla Shores summer of 1986
News 8's Hal Clement caught up with evening beach-goers at La Jolla Shores for this piece. He found skateboarders doing tricks, people having cookouts on the sand, and families enjoying a warm summer evening.