But silver lining?
Climate change is, apparently, here to stay and really throwing wrenches into the works, or spanners, depending on whether your climate speaks the Queen’s English or in American vernacular. While violent wave-causing storms are said to be on the increase, iconic surf breaks will also be threatened due sea level rise and Surfrider Foundation just released a troubling list of the ten most vulnerable in the United States or United States-ish.
In order from worst to bad:
HAWAIʻI—THE NORTH SHORE, OʻAHU
CALIFORNIA—SURFERS POINT
CALIFORNIA—TRESTLES
FLORIDA—COCOA BEACH
NORTH CAROLINA—CAROLINA BEACH
PUERTO RICO—TRES PALMAS
NEW YORK—THE ROCKAWAYS
TEXAS—CORPUS CHRISTI
MAINE–HIGGINS BEACH
WASHINGTON–WESTPORT
As it happens, the world’s greatest surfer Kelly Slater makes his home in three of the top four (North Shore, San Clemente and Cocoa Beach) though has released a luxury watch with Swiss manufacturer Breitling that may help stem the tide, as it were, or at least take some plastics out of the hurting oceans and transforming them into sleek bands.
Every thorn has its rose, though, and forward-thinking surfers may be thinking about which breaks might benefit from a little extra water. I’d like to think my childhood hometown of Coos Bay, Oregon might benefit. There was a cove, there, that had a nice setup with shallow rock reef tapering impressively from point to sand. It was often too shallow but maybe in a decade could host the World Surf League’s championship day.
There is currently an oceanfront home on the market for $599,000.
A new next gen Volcom House all your own?
Fortune favors the bold.
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Surfer’s Point in Ventura used to be the Chumash village of Shisholop, from the mouth of the river down into the C-Street cove. It’s been endangered by the Spanish padres, cholo gangsters, tweakers, and Saturday night auto-racing at the adjacent Ventura Fairgrounds ever since. To say nothing of Sprinter vans, VALs, decidedly unskilled but overly-vocal insta-local chick longboarders, and the recently opened Traveler Surf Club franchise. There are reasons why cats like Dane flock to inferior waves like Emma Wood! The town he moved to at age 12 has been…totally sold and moved-into under his nose. As a man born in the (now-shuttered) old St. John’s hospital in Oxnard, and a lifelong resident of Oxnard/Ventura (besides occasional forays for a year here and there in South and Central America), I can tell you it more than sucks. There are of course certain windows when you can absolutely score Surfer’s Point. Mostly when the rest of the world decides that the day/time/conditions are not worthy to surf
I had no idea that Kelly was so tall and brown!
Cocoa Beach is just barely above swamp level, both physically and metaphorically. Sea level rise could only freshen the place up
where’s the mini-grom league? Save The Groms!
lunch w/ mom and son yesterday…topic surf lessons. Currently, surf camps and schools teach basics of standing up on a board. Easy right? Well…
From age 4 thru 8 my best surf friend and I went thru a progression of inflatable mats, styrofoam and plastic bodyboards, plywood skim boards, then a kneeboard…riding always from the shore break.
Age 9: I paddled out into a line-up on my 1st longboard…Surf was so big I paddled in…after hours just sitting.
Age 10: Bought my 1st longboard. A Greg Noll…made it outside again to the line-up. After several failed attempts I finally stood up.
“Learn how to surf in one day at surf camp.”
In hindsight, realized…I surfed for 6 years before standing up.
https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx….
You can make a fortune investing in fossil fuels right now and you dont have to brave or bold
13% oxygen, 45% nitrogen, forgot the rest…18 degrees is max on a tight reach…
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The house you highlighted is on the East side of Cape Arago road. But with the rate of erosion on that bluff it will be beach front soon enough. I used to live at 90027. That wave is fickle and sharky AF.
‘Coos’ is the Scots word for cows.
I’m not sure what I’m trying say with this. But someone else might be able to put some meat on the concept.
25cm sea level rise … teaupoo becomes Fort Pt … efoilers everywhere. Ke17y selling oceanfront burritos protection, its a real estate ‘vaccine ‘
Without being too obnoxious about it, hugh tide spots will become low tide spots and a whole bunch of new high tide spots will arise.
Usually names are capitalised. I believe you mean; ‘Hugh Tide Spots will become Low Tide Spots.’
Some sort of transition? Or legal name change?
CODE RED ALERT!
Into the wave pool we go. Else all is lost. Certainly from a WSL perspective i would decree.
Chas might benefit from a little extra water as well. “They” say a gallon a day…whoever “they” are. Them.