Buying in Crescent Beach or Ocean Park

Crescent Beach and Ocean Park are seaside neighbourhoods in South Surrey, right next to White Rock, and they are some of the most sought-after places to buy a home in the region. Prices here depend less on the neighbourhood name and more on the individual lot: the view, how close you are to the water, the lot size and, in Crescent Beach, how high the land sits above sea level. This guide explains what drives value, what daily life is like and what to check before you make an offer.

Both areas are part of the City of Surrey, not the City of White Rock, although many buyers search for them together. Our team works from an office in White Rock, a few minutes away, and a White Rock realtor on our team can show you homes on both sides of the boundary. For a broader overview of the two communities, see our page on Crescent Beach and Ocean Park real estate.

Where the two neighbourhoods sit

Crescent Beach is a small beach village on Boundary Bay, at the bottom of the hill west of Ocean Park. It has its own shops, cafés and a long sandy shoreline, and it sits on low land between the water and the railway. Its park entrance is on Beecher Street.

Ocean Park sits on the higher ground above, stretching toward White Rock. Its village centre is around 16 Avenue and 128 Street, with a grocery store, cafés, shops and the Ocean Park community hall. Streets here are mostly residential, with large lots, mature trees and, on the western edge, bluff-top homes that look across Boundary Bay.

Lifestyle: beaches, parks and trails

The outdoors is the main reason people buy here. A few local favourites:

Crescent Beach and Sullivan Point: swimming, a pier, beach volleyball courts and a grassy area for picnics, with a lifeguard station in summer.
Blackie Spit Park: just north of the village on McBride Avenue, with views of Mud Bay and the North Shore Mountains, a trail of about 5 kilometres, bird watching and an off-leash dog area.
Kwomais Point Park: on 128 Street in Ocean Park, with a viewpoint across the bay toward Tsawwassen and forest trails.
The 1001 Steps: a steep public stairway from Ocean Park down to the shoreline trails, popular for a workout with a view.

The trade-off is summer traffic. Crescent Beach draws visitors from across the region on warm days, so parking and road traffic in and around the village can be busy. If you are looking at a home near the beach, visit on a sunny weekend before you buy.

Home types and what drives price

Detached houses make up most of the homes in both neighbourhoods. You will find older original homes, renovated family houses and large custom builds. Townhomes and condos are less common here, so buyers who want one often look in nearby parts of South Surrey or White Rock as well.

Within the same few blocks, prices can vary widely. The main factors are:

View: an open view of Boundary Bay or the mountains is usually the biggest single factor. Check whether the view could be blocked by trees or a future build next door.
Water access: walking distance to the beach or the 1001 Steps adds value.
Lot size and shape: many buyers here are buying land as much as a house, especially on larger Ocean Park lots.
Elevation and flood risk: in low-lying Crescent Beach, the height of the lot and the main floor affects insurance, renovation options and resale.
Condition and age: older homes often sell closer to land value, while new custom homes sell on finish and design.

Our team currently has a custom home listed at 2376 129A Street in the Crescent Beach and Ocean Park area, with 8 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms and about 7,107 sq. ft. across three levels, listed at $3,999,999. It sits at the top end of the market, but most homes here are smaller family houses.

What prices look like

The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board does not publish separate public figures for Crescent Beach or Ocean Park. Its nearest published numbers for September 2026 are:

White Rock detached benchmark: $1,542,600, down 9.1% from September 2025.
Surrey detached benchmark: $1,386,200, down 8.2% from September 2025.
White Rock townhouse and apartment benchmarks: $720,800 and $543,200.

Treat these as a sense of direction, not a price for a specific home. A view home on a large Ocean Park lot or a beach-close home in Crescent Beach can sell far above these benchmarks, while an older house on a smaller lot can sell closer to them. Prices across the area were lower than a year earlier, which gives buyers more room to negotiate. For wider trends, see our South Surrey real estate and White Rock real estate pages.

Flooding and sea level in Crescent Beach

Crescent Beach is on the coastal floodplain, and the City of Surrey has been planning for it for years. Council approved the City's Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy in November 2019. It covers Crescent Beach, Mud Bay and other low-lying areas, and the City expects sea levels to rise by 1 metre by 2100.

A few points from City of Surrey material that buyers should know:

Flood construction level: the City's 2017 Crescent Beach land use plan update noted that provincial mapping set the flood construction level at 3.3 metres above mean sea level in Crescent Beach, and that the average house there was built about 0.7 metres below that level.
Rebuilding: new homes may need to be built to the flood construction level, which can affect height and floor area. If you plan to rebuild, ask the City what applies to that lot before you buy.
Drainage work: the City has been upgrading storm sewers in Crescent Beach and raising ground and roads in phases.

Up on the Ocean Park bluff, the concern is different. Steep slopes can fall under the City's hazard lands rules, and building or major renovation there may require a geotechnical report from a qualified engineer.

Road access and the railway

The BNSF rail line runs along the waterfront between Crescent Beach and the rest of South Surrey, carrying freight and Amtrak passenger trains. A 2010 City of Surrey report noted that Crescent Beach has two road accesses that cross the tracks at grade: Beecher Street and Crescent Road as the main route, and McBride Avenue as the second. They are about 500 metres apart, so a stopped train can block both at once. The City has released concept drawings for an overpass, but we have not seen a construction date.

For most residents this is an occasional delay, but it is worth knowing if you commute at fixed times or need reliable access for health reasons. In Ocean Park, the tracks run along the shoreline below the bluff, so train noise can carry to homes near the edge.

Schools

Both neighbourhoods are in the Surrey School District. In the district's 2025 to 2026 families of schools list, Elgin Park Secondary is the high school for Chantrell Creek, Crescent Park, Ocean Cliff, Ray Shepherd and Semiahmoo Trail elementary schools. Some Ocean Park addresses closer to White Rock may fall into a different catchment, so always check the exact address with the district's school locator before you buy. Our article on how school districts affect home prices in White Rock and South Surrey explains why this matters for resale.

Buying tips for these neighbourhoods

Get a survey or check the existing one. Older lots may have fences, hedges or sheds that are not where the lot lines are.
Ask about flood and insurance early. Get an insurance quote before you remove subjects, especially in Crescent Beach.
Hire an inspector who knows coastal homes. Salt air, damp and older crawl spaces need a careful look.
For bluff lots, talk to a geotechnical engineer before you plan any addition or rebuild.
Check permits and zoning with the City of Surrey if you plan to renovate, add a suite or rebuild.
Visit at different times: a summer weekend, a weekday morning and when a train passes.

Thinking about buying in Crescent Beach or Ocean Park? Talk to a White Rock realtor on our team. Call 604-385-3770 or book a free 15-minute call, and we will help you compare homes, lots and views street by street.

Frequently asked questions

Is Crescent Beach part of White Rock?

No. Crescent Beach and Ocean Park are in South Surrey, which is part of the City of Surrey. White Rock is a separate city next door.

Is Crescent Beach in a flood zone?

Crescent Beach is on Surrey's coastal floodplain and is one of the areas covered by the City's Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy, approved in November 2019. Check the flood construction level and insurance for the specific lot before you buy.

How do you get in and out of Crescent Beach by car?

There are two road accesses, Beecher Street with Crescent Road and McBride Avenue. Both cross the BNSF rail line at grade, so a stopped train can delay traffic.

Which high school serves Crescent Beach and Ocean Park?

In the Surrey School District's 2025 to 2026 list, Elgin Park Secondary is the high school for Crescent Park, Ocean Cliff, Chantrell Creek, Ray Shepherd and Semiahmoo Trail elementary schools. Confirm the catchment for each address.

Does the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board publish Crescent Beach prices?

Not as a separate public figure. For September 2026, the board's detached benchmark was $1,542,600 in White Rock and $1,386,200 in Surrey, which give a sense of direction only.

Sources

Rates, thresholds and program rules in this article were checked against these official pages on October 22, 2026. Rules change, so confirm current details before you act.

Buying in Crescent Beach or Ocean Park: Waterfront Homes, Prices and What to Check