San Diego beaches face persistent hazardous conditions as up to 7-foot waves and strong rip currents prompt safety warnings for swimmers and surfers alike. The National Weather Service tracked Category 1 Hurricane Odalys and Category 3 Hurricane Polo influencing local coastal weather patterns.
Surfers Test High Surf at Tourmaline Beach
At Tourmaline Beach, the heavy surf drew crowds before sunrise as surfers packed the parking lot to head into the Pacific Ocean. Surfer Mayo Mendoza described the conditions while preparing to paddle out. “Once you catch that right wave, it lasts the whole season. It just feels good,” Mendoza said. He added that finding that specific wave remains a challenge, noting, “I’m looking for that one. I probably won’t find it. That’s my luck, but we’ll see.”
Nearby resident Hannah Ford has used her cellphone to document unusual weather shifts along the coast this year. “I definitely feel like the weather is changing. It’s so much more tropical. I feel like I’m like in Hawaii. It’s more humid,” Ford said. Meteorologists note that warmer ocean water can trigger El Niño patterns, potentially bringing wetter winters, stronger storms, and increased coastal erosion.
Bluff Collapse Closes Grandview Beach Access
Erosion continues to impact the San Diego County coastline, most notably in Encinitas where a bluff collapsed at Grandview Beach roughly a week ago. Access stairs at the location remain temporarily closed following the incident. Engineers inspected the crumbled section and determined that additional bluff failures are possible, keeping the access shut until further notice.
Encinitas resident Doug Barkett said the ongoing closure impacts local recreation. “I think that closing the access to the surfers really inhibits our ability to do what we enjoy doing,” Barkett said. Municipal crews continue to monitor unstable cliffs throughout the area as high surf persists.
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