Below Leadbetter Hill, the strip of sand at your feet is Leadbetter Beach, also spelled Ledbetter Beach, one of the most visited beaches in the city. The beach is easily accessible from the Santa Barbara City College and the marina, and you can feel why so many people come here: the surf is light and acceptable for learners, and the small waves plus consistent winds make it a favored spot for kitesurfers and windsurfers during the summer, when the wind is consistent. This is one of the most frequently visited beaches in the city.
Leadbetter is an artificial beach, built by accident — when Santa Barbara Harbor was built it blocked the downshore current and held up the natural sand flow. The college itself sits on the original coastline’s front cliffs, now about 30 yards off-shore, and the original beachfront lies where the current SBCC football field is located. That interruption of sand even prompted several lawsuits against Santa Barbara.
Picture the shifting sand and steady wind that shaped this place, from the marina and the college across the way to Leadbetter Hill rising overhead.