From the Oceano Dunes to San Simeon, high surf conditions during the last week of December 2023 closed beaches; damaged roadways, parking lots, and recreational equipment; and caused a handful of injuries as well as one death.
Jorge Moreno, communication manager for California State Parks, told New Times that the unusually high tides caused coastal flooding at a number of state beaches, and crews were clearing leftover debris throughout the first week of January.
“Beach erosion at Oceano Dunes District led to minor roadway damage at the Pier Avenue park entrance. The road is still usable while we work on repairs,” Moreno said. “Additionally, there was localized coastal flooding, sand and debris to low-lying coastal parking lots from Montaña de Oro to Hearst San Simeon state parks.”
While many believed the high tides were caused by the annual King Tides, California Coastal Commission Public Education Program Coordinator Annie Kohut Frankel told New Times that it’s a bit early for King Tides. They usually hit toward the middle of January and beginning of February.
“King Tides are the highest predicted astronomical high tides of the year, and our high surf didn’t correspond with those, which are coming up next week,” she said on Jan. 2. “There were multiple factors that came together to create high, damaging surf in the recent events. Mostly when swells correspond with higher astronomical tides, the water rises even higher.”
Rose Schoensed from NOAA’s National Weather Service told New Times that King Tides are strictly related to the moon’s cycle, and what happened in late December was related to storm and surf conditions.
“It was a combination of a few different things—firstly there was really significant high surf, which can lead to coastal flooding, and then there was very big breaking waves caused by swirling cyclones, low pressure systems, and north winds that cause powerful wave energy,” she said. “It also just comes down to the moon, where it gives us constant cycling of the tides.
However, the third component is that the tides were already a little higher than normal, so all those combined had an exceptional amount of energy.”
Schoensed said all those factors led to long, energy-powered horizontal waves and high vertical waves that crashed on shore causing sand displacement and damage.
In Pismo Beach, the surf took over the beach with waves as high as 18 feet. Pismo Beach City Manager Jorge Garcia told New Times that the city was lucky to see only light damages.
“We had a swing set at our Abbey Street Parking Lot that was completely destroyed. We actually just installed it this year so unfortunately, it’s no longer going to be available for use,” he said. “Our beach volleyball courts were damaged, so we have to order new poles and nets in order to get those installed again, and we did have a couple sets of stairs down to the ocean that had some damage.”
Garcia said that repairs were already in progress as of Jan. 3, and crews are focusing on fixing the stairs first so the city can restore safe beach access.
“We’ll be completely replacing our swing set, and that will take a couple of months for the equipment to get in,” he said. “But right now, our preliminary estimate is approximately $55,000 in damage to various facilities.”
Morro Bay Public Works Maintenance Manager Carlos Mendoza told New Times that his city experienced similar damage to Pismo Beach, with debris washing into beach parking areas and flooding closing Atascadero Road until the ocean water could be pumped out.
“We also had quite a few waves that actually went over the rock wall and carried some of those rocks a couple to 100 feet away. So, we’ll have to do repairs on that wall, but we posted signs in that parking lot warning folks that those rocks are unstable,” he said. “To be honest, I think we knew about [high surf] but we didn’t realize it was going to be that significant. I think across the county you could probably say the same for other communities, but obviously this opened our eyes to how to prepare for these kinds of events from now on.”
Garcia from Pismo Beach said that lifeguards received a few rescue calls for surfers who got swept out with the tide and one call for a person who died due to injuries they sustained in the water.
Moreno with California State Parks also said they received a rescue call from a family of five trapped in the surf at the Oceano Dunes.
“A truck was swamped by surf water that ran up, and state park lifeguards and rangers responded and rescued all family members,” he said. “Patients were then transported to a local hospital for evaluation.”
High tides and powerful surf are also forecast for the near future. Frankel with the Coastal Commission said King Tides will appear on Jan. 11 and 12 and Feb. 9 and tend to be 1 to 2 feet higher than average tide levels. While potentially worrisome, she said the annual phenomenon can also be an educational opportunity.
“This helps us understand what the everyday high tide will look like within a few decades of sea level rise,” she said.
Communities such as Pismo Beach are taking the educational aspect of the tides seriously and are looking to develop a plan that will help keep their residents and infrastructure safe.
“We did see a different type of damage this year than we saw in the past, and I think it’s just the congruence of the tides and the large waves that led to a bigger impact than we’ve seen in the past years,” Garcia said. “Because we need to be aware of what’s going on and the impacts and damage to various facilities, we need to be prepared for [sea level rise].” Δ
Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly stated New Times how high the tides swell during average King Tides event. King Tides rise an average of 1 to 2 feet. We regret the error.
This article appears in Jan 4-14, 2024.