Double axels where the sand meets the sea

Never mind that it’s supposed to be 72 degrees and sunny in Redondo Beach today. Ice beckons at a new seasonal skating rink at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. You read that right: There’s an ice skating rink. Just 150 feet from where the waves lap the shore.

The appropriately named Seaside Ice debuted Tuesday in Redondo Beach and will be open every day throughout the holidays, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, until Jan. 11.

The rink, slightly smaller than hockey regulation size, is, to be sure, a novelty, but it’s more than a place just to put blade to ice. It promises to be a family-friendly party by the sea, with daily visits by a Zamboni machine and weekly screenings of Disney movies and skating exhibitions. That’s in addition to de rigueur servings of hot chocolate, a less-than-de-rigueur Brazilian barbecue and, of course, Santa (who’ll show up on a big red sleigh Nov. 28 and stay till Christmas).

Don’t know how to skate? Chances are you’ll still have fun slamming in to name-brand skaters, such as former Kings player Marty McSorley (who showed up opening day) and U.S. figure skaters Randy Gardner and Scott Williams, the latter of whom co-founded the rink.

“It’s trippy,” admits Seaside Ice creator Tom Kearney, who dreamed up the idea for the rink two years ago while taking a dip in the rooftop pool at the Crowne Plaza Hotel across the street. A sort of renaissance man of the beach, Kearney, 44, is a film director, screenwriter and businessman who, in addition to founding the Hermosa Beach Film Festival, also runs the Disco Metro party bus line. “It’s one of the nicest pieces of ice on the beach, that’s for sure.”

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Seaside Ice

Where: 200 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach

When: 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

Price: $14, adults; $12, children

Contact: www.seasideice.com