NBC 7’s Brooke Martell breaks down the challenges the recent high surf has created for area lifeguards.
Another day of high surf for San Diego on Thursday didn't mean what it did last week.
As lifeguards pointed out on Thursday, though, San Diegans might notice something different besides the waves. Oceanside Lifeguard Sgt. Jonathan Chesne said there's less sand on the beach after the recent king tides and high surf.
King Tides Hit San Diego
“So, definitely impacted,” Chesner said.
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Chesner said that people who know a particular stretch of the coast well know that it’s no stranger to sand erosion.
“Right now ... you can see up to where the surf was washing up along the sand," Chesner said. "All of our southern beach is cobble now, and our harbor beach has shrunk a little bit as well."
According to the city’s website, in December the final public workshop was held for RE:BEACH, an initiative focused on restoring the sandy beaches along the coast.
”We need beach to launch our [jet-ski] ... to be able to get trucks on the sand,” Chesner said.
Meantime, some surfers like Marissa Jedell were taking on the waves. She’s been surfing for more than two decades and is an instructor too.
“It’s kind of short periods, so there is a lot going on, but I found it to be fun and exciting without it being too slamtastic,” Jedell said.
With high surf and less sand, safety is at the top of mind for beachgoers like Heather Midcap and her family.
”If you’re getting water in your water bucket, the water will come to you – don’t go out as far as you can like you normally would,” Midcap said.
Just up the coast, Del Mar Deputy Chief Lifeguard Mark Rathsam told NBC7 that the waves can break down the beach and pull sand back, especially during the larger-than-normal surf. He said that because of that, the stretch of the coast in Del Mar can lose three to five feet of elevation of sand during the winter months.
