Bolsa Chica - OC Beach Blog

Archive for the 'Bolsa Chica' Tag

Planning to head to the beach? Here’s a quick guide

September 4th, 2009, 8:21 am by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

Last weekend in Huntington Beach

If you’re headed to the beach this weekend, it should be a beautiful way to bring summer to an end.

Just remember - everyone else has the same idea.

With this warm weather expected to linger as we’re heading into the holiday weekend, make sure you get down to the beach early to avoid parking hassles.

Last weekend, the crowds were so thick that Bolsa Chica State Beach closed its lot for a few hours, meaning people trying to get there had to wait in line until state guards opened it up.

Sciencedude Gary Robbins says temps inland could reach about 100 again today (Friday), but by Sunday and Monday the temps should be seasonal again - still warm, but a bit more pleasant. Read more here.

The surf isn’t expected to be big, meaning conditions will be fairly safe to enter the water. However, always check with a lifeguard before entering, just to see if there’s anything to be concerned about.

And a quick dip may not do all that much to cool you off. If you’re a surfer, definitely leave the wetsuits behind. Water temps this week spiked and were in the 70s, and a swim may feel like you’re hanging out in a lukewarm tub. But hey, I’m sure it’s better than sitting in a non-air conditioned home, right?

bonfires.0525.rp12 With warm water and small surf comes an influx of stingrays that hit the surfline, especially in the Seal Beach and Bolsa Chica State Beach areas. If you get stung, head over to the lifeguard area where they can treat you with hot water. Click here to learn about the stingray shuffle.

There aren’t a lot of activities happening on the beach this weekend, as things are definitely winding down. Here’s a small NSSA surf contest happening in Huntington Beach.

But if you’re looking for a reason to get your feet sandy, nab a fire ring. Just make sure to get there early (I’m talkin’ 8 a.m. )to claim a spot, because they will be going very fast this weekend. Here’s some places where you can get some.

Most of all, have fun! Fall will be here before you know it.

Posted in: Beach culture • Beach news • Day trips • Events • Bolsa Chica • NSSA | 1 Comment »

Boat washes ashore at Bolsa Chica

August 24th, 2009, 4:45 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

This is kind of random - and fortunately not tragic. A small boat washed ashore at Bolsa Chica State Beach earlier this afternoon, with no one on it.

The fisherman who fell off was pretty lucky, and was picked up by another sailor out at sea, according to lifeguard Ryan Gates.

OC Register reporter Annie Burris is finding out more, keep posted here.

Posted in: Beach culture • Beach news • Bolsa Chica • sunset beach | Post a Comment »

Surfer nabs Jumbo squid at Bolsa

July 19th, 2009, 8:09 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

If you get a second, you gotta check out this photo and write up on Seal Beach Daily about a surfer at Bolsa Chica who found a Jumbo squid in the surf line.

Crazy - I was surfing right at that tower this morning, too bad I didn’t see it! Probably would have freaked me out anyhow…

There’s been a lot of talk of these squid, which can reach 10-feet in length. Fisherman have been pulling them up during outings, check out this story by Pat Brennan here. And they washed up on shore after an earthquake in La Jolla, then they were grabbing at and attacking scuba divers, a story that got picked up around the nation.

Maybe surfers are next?

If you recall, there were about 1,500 of these creatures that washed up in Newport in 2005.

Posted in: Beach culture • Beach news • Environment • Surfing • Bolsa Chica • scubadiving • squid | Post a Comment »

Session shots: Bolsa Chica

July 10th, 2009, 7:22 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

It was a great morning out at Bolsa Chica State Beach on Friday, fun waves and finally that wind calmed down for a bit.
If the weekend is going to be anything like today, make sure you get out there early or it will be packed in the water!

The water is pretty toasty too, let’s hope it stays that way for a bit.

Here’s some snaps from this morning, just in case you missed it.

And if you’re really having a boring Friday night at home alone, check out these past Session Shots:

The Wedge in Newport Beach

Girls training at Salt Creek

South side of Seal Beach Pier

North of the Seal Beach Pier

56th street in Newport Beach

Posted in: Beach culture • Session Shots • Surfing • Bolsa Chica • Seal Beach | Post a Comment »

Wanted: Surfing dogs

June 24th, 2009, 9:41 am by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

If you have a dog that likes to fetch waves instead of balls, check out this SurfinPaws Dog Jam coming up at Bolsa Chica State Beach.

Your pooch doesn’t have to be an expert wave rider to participate at the July 11 event. The contest is more of a fundraiser for the Orange County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Registration is open to dogs of all ages, sizes and abilities; with a $25.50 per dog registration fee profiting the OCSPCA.

The surf competition is open to the public and free for anyone to watch. At noon, there will be an expression session, where organizers are going to attempt to get more than eleven dogs on one board for a world record.

This is the first year for the SurfinPaws event. It was started by René Bruce and his pet inspiration, Kia, who has participated in a surf dog competition that was put on by a friend in Del Mar. Kia is a seven year-old Russell Terrier and is the “spokesdog” of the Surfinpaws Dog Jam.

Check out Kia surfing waves down in Del Mar recently:

Kia has been riding boards, scooters and jet skis since she was a pup. She has been featured on various news sites, Reuters, National Geographic and The Discovery Channel because of her riding talents. You can also find Kia on her Web site.

When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Red carpet and auction festivities will follow the competition at the Waterfront Hilton Huntington Beach from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Where: Bolsa Chica State Beach

For more information about The SurfinPaws Dog Jam, rules and regulations, or
to register your dog, visit surfinpaws.com.

Posted in: Beach culture • Beach news • Competitions • Events • Weird stuff on the water • Bolsa Chica • surfing dogs | Post a Comment »

Sand shots: International Surfing Day

June 20th, 2009, 2:17 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

Check out our story and photo slideshow of International Surfing Day, held at three locations along the Orange County coast on Saturday.

Now in its fifth year, there’s a ton of support for the quasi holiday, bringing surfers together for the common cause of cleaning up the coast.

Despite drizzly weather and sloppy surf, there was still great turn outs at both the Bolsa Chica and Huntington Beach events. Check out the photos to see if we caught you in action helping out!

Posted in: Beach clean-ups • Beach culture • Beach news • Environment • Events • Local surfers recognized • Sand Shots • Surfing • Bolsa Chica • Huntington Beach • International Surfing Day | Post a Comment »

Free parking at OC state beaches?

June 16th, 2009, 4:51 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

I love to surf at Bolsa Chica State Beaches - nice and mellow longboard waves, long stretches of beach to choose from. The reason why I’m rarely there: the $10-a-pop parking fee.

There’s a proposal by the state that would give free access to state parks and beaches - and eliminate this fear that we’ve all hear of about the state beaches being shut down. State beaches in Orange County include: Bolsa Chica, Huntington State Beach, Corona del Mar, Crystal Cove, and San Clemente State Beach (and San Onofre is nearby, for those who like to go that far south).

How would they do this? Basically, a $15 fee tied to vehicle license fees would raise money for state parks, eliminating their dependency on the general fund - allowing them a solid cash flow that doesn’t fall on the chopping block every time the folks in Sacramento jack up the budget.

According to Bolsa Chica lifeguard supervisor Ryan Gates, the move would be a good thing for lifeguards.

“It will increase the visitation and we’re going to be busy,” he said. ”But we’ll be properly funded to provide the correct service.”

So this can mean a few things. Locals at those spots who surf Doheny or Bolsa may figure it’s worth paying the $125 annual parking pass to keep the crowds out. But for the family who likes to come to the beach once a month, it would be a huge savings.

You can learn more and write your representatives by going to this site: www.calparks.org

Tell me what you think in the comments section below, and take our poll:

What do you think about the proposal?

Posted in: Beach culture • Beach news • Environment • Surfing • Bolsa Chica • Huntington Beach • San Onofre | 22 Comments »

International Surfing Day

June 15th, 2009, 8:25 am by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

International Surfing Day is coming up next Saturday - like you needed an excuse, right?

If you’ve never heard of the day, it started about five years ago - with the goal of surfers getting together to help clean up their beloved environment, then heading out to appreciate some surf.

The first two years started pretty slow, but the day has gained a lot of traction, and I expect this year to be the biggest.

One of the events that looks really fun is held down at Bolsa Chica State Beach by Quiksilver and the Bolsa Chica Wetlands Conservancy, where they’ll have free lunch from Taco Bell, Surftech demo boards and smoothies for participants. The event is open to the public, meet Parking is free if you show up between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The clean up starts at 7 a.m., and the surf session at 9 a.m., meet at the furthest south parking lot.

If you have an event happening on International Surf Day, I’m pulling together a list for this week’s column, so shoot me a few details at laylan@orangecounty.com

Here’s some that have just come in:

Dana Point, Ocean Institute, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dana Point, CA (Dana Point Ocean Institute)
Time: 10:00am to 3:00pm
Activities: Adults $6.50 Children $4.50 Members and Beach Clean-up Participants Free
Location: Dana Point Ocean Institute
Contact: Kristel Arnott and Jonathan Witt @ karnott@ocean-institute.org & JWitt@ocean-institute.org

Dana Point / South Orange County, CA (Surfrider Foundation Chapter)
Time: 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM (in tandem with the NSSA contest)
Activities: Beach cleanup, Nalu’s Island Grille plate lunch for volunteers and participants, Shave Ice sponsored by Gidget Worldwide, Softboard demos from INT Surfboards, Surfboard demos by T. Patterson Surfboards, Official Welcome to the Algolita JunkRide in South Orange County (approx. 5-6PM)
Raffle and contest challenge winner prizes & giveaways
Location: Salt Creek Beach,Dana Point, CA
Contact: Denise Erkeneff @ denisedd@cox.net

Huntington / Seal Beach, CA
Time: 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Activities: Join the Huntington, Seal and Newport Beach Surfrider Chapters for a beach cleanup, paddle out, free monster beverages, Surfing Magazines, Surfboard shaping, Polynesian dancing, music, give aways and more!
Location: Huntington State Beach at the mouth of the Santa Ana River, south of Brookhurst off of PCH (Enter at Brookhurst Street and go south to the end)
Contact: Tony Soriano @ aosacs2@aol.com

Source: Surfing Magazine

Get out and surf!

Posted in: Beach clean-ups • Beach culture • Beach news • Environment • Events • Surfing • Bolsa Chica • quiksilver • surf • surfrider | Post a Comment »

750 students make message in the sand during clean up

June 4th, 2009, 5:09 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

Great effort today by Orange County Coastkeeper volunteers and the hundreds of school kids who came out for a beach clean up at Bolsa Chica State Beach.

It was great to see the kids doing their part - and hopefully taking this mindset of a clean beach with them as they get older.

The Ocean Day is something that started about 14 years ago in Malibu, and now stretches up and down the California Coast. The idea is to get school kids out to the beach for the day to educate them about the environment.

Another pretty amazing thing was this human message they formed in the sand. Click on the image below for more photos, and read the story here (on ocregister.com)

Posted in: Beach clean-ups • Beach culture • Beach news • Environment • beach • Bolsa Chica | 1 Comment »

Clean the beach - then drink some wine

June 1st, 2009, 4:14 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

If you want to do something to make you feel good - then drink something to make you feel even better - come out to Huntington Beach on June 13 for the Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project.

The group is helping Surfrider Foundation celebrate 25 years, and volunteers are setting out to clean up 25 spots nationwide, including right here in Orange County.

After the clean up, volunteers over 21 years old can come out for a party at the new Shorebreak Hotel, where there will be food, live music, and of course, wine.

When and Where:

Beach clean up happens from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Bolsa Chica State Beach, tower 21. The Barefoot Celebration will kick off at 6 p.m. at the Shorebreak Hotel, north of the Huntington Beach pier. The events are free to the public.

Posted in: Beach clean-ups • Beach culture • Beach news • Environment • Events • Bolsa Chica • Huntington Beach • surfrider | Post a Comment »