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April 19, 2012 -

Green and Money

Good article by Todd Woody at Forbes.com on the environmental costs of the surf industry, and the economic considerations for the $7 billion per year surf industry.

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April 8, 2012 -

Vacation Rentals as Coastal Access?

Interesting article in the Santa Maria Times discussing Pismo Beach’s efforts to limit vacation rentals in areas zoned for residential use despite previous Coastal Commission rejection of such efforts as limitations on coastal access.

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March 24, 2012 -

Not Dead Yet

My apologies for the sorry state of this site the last couple of years.  As a native of Huntington Beach (living there 18 years) and resident of San Diego county for the last 11 years, I will always have a bit of seawater running in my blood.  I love the beach and everything to do with it.  The last couple of years have seen changes forced on my practice by economic changes, and a change in my available side-project time resulting from a new commitment to homeownership in San Marcos.  It doesn’t help that most of what I read on coastal access and beach use is also fairly depressing as a result of the ongoing financial pressure on all levels of government here in California, and the distraction of cleaning up a hacker attack on my server that left this and several other sites damaged for a while.

That said, summer is coming.  I have a new Grain Hand Plane that needs some field testing, which damn well better lead to more beach time than I had the last couple of summers.  Expect  at least a resumption of the Visual Law posts in the near future.

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July 12, 2011 -

Beach Use Narrows

Shoreline in Laguna Beach will become a no-fishing area this fall, starting with the implementation of three Marine Protected Areas on October 1, according to the L.A. Times.

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January 25, 2011 -

New Resource: Beachapedia

A new resource for coastal access and use issues is Beachapedia, a wiki on coastal issues put together by Surfrider Foundation activists, scientists and staff.

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November 18, 2010 -

Curfews Being Challenged

Curfews and closures have become more popular with local governments recently.  One example was the overnight closure of beaches in Dana Point cited here back in February.

According to an L.A. Times article, the coastal commission is finally moving to fight against these restrictions on beach access.  Good article by Tony Barboza that highlights not only the direct issues, but the confusing patchwork or regulations and ordinances governing access times on various beaches and access points.

Inconsistent regulation of access is nothing new: flashback to this 2006 post from San Diego’s Pacific Beach.

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September 22, 2010 -

Lifeguard Cuts in San Diego?

NBC San Diego is reporting that critics of a proposed new sales tax in San Diego (Proposition D) are suggesting lifeguard cuts as an alternative to higher tax rates.

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September 10, 2010 -

Illegal Filming in Laguna Beach

The crew of The Real Housewives of Orange County has reportedly been citing for filming lifeguards in training without a permit for commercial photography and filming.

Read on…

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July 18, 2010 -

Cliff Jumping

Good article in today’s New York Times about the summer rituals of cliff jumping near the Bronx into the Hudson River, and the legal and law enforcement issues.  This should definitely resonate with those southern California veterans of The Clam and other natural diving spots.  Even the fans of the unnatural, but unapproved spots, like this one we saw in Kona last month should appreciate the issues.

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June 26, 2010 -

Swimming Without A Lifeguard

Swimming without a lifeguard.

Not recommended?  Certainly.

Have we done it?  Absolutely (as recently as two weeks ago near Kona on the Big Island for me).

Should it be illegal?  No.

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Interesting Sites

Beachapedia.org Beachapedia
Cal. Coastal Commission Like them or not, they are one of the biggest players around when it comes to coastal access in California.
Howling Point Your moderator’s personal site. He does have a life outside of this, as shown by the occasional gaps in posting.
Surfrider Foundation Activities and campaigns for clean water, beach access, beach preservation and protecting special places.