Memorial Day weekend not only kicks off the “unofficial start of summer,” but it also marks the anniversary of a memorable period last year when the early days of the coronavirus pandemic had us questioning how safe the beaches were after they were forced to shut down, in some cases for more than a month.
Even when they did start reopen as summer heated up, rules were strict. Remember “active use” requirements that forbid laying down on a towel to sunbathe or read a book?
All Los Angeles County beaches were still closed early May 2020, but would open back up later that month with only “active use” allowed. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Signs explaining what is allowed and not allowed on the beach are displayed at the pier in Seal Beach, CA on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. The city was only allowing “active use” of the beach at the time. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An electronic sign located on Coast Highway near Vista del Sol in Laguna Beach on Thursday, March 26, 2020 lets visitors know that the beaches are closed in response to the coronavirus. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A sign just south of the Newport Beach Pier in Newport Beach warns beachgoers that the beach is closed. This photo was taken Saturday, May 2 2020 during a temporary ordered closure of all beaches and state parks in Orange County. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A sign on the boardwalk just south of the Newport Beach Pier in Newport Beach lets beach goers know that it is closed on Saturday, May 2, 2020, during an ordered closure of all beaches and state parks in Orange County by California Gov. Gavin Newsom due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Balboa Pier, parking lot and sand are empty in Newport Beach, CA, on Monday, May 4, 2020. California Governor Gavin Newsom closed all the beaches in Orange County after large crowds turned out on April 25. Newport Beach’s closure was short lived and like other beaches, they reopened with limited, active use only. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Beaches closed sign at the LA County Line July 2, 2020. After opening up for a short time mid-May, beaches were again closed July 4th weekend due to the coronavirus spike in Los Angeles County. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The loss of beach access was a hot topic in Southern California. Many argued the vast expanse was the safest place to be, an outdoor escape from the indoor confines of shutdown orders. Others cringed and complained at the sight of crowded coastlines, worried beaches could be super-spreader sites as the pandemic raged on.
There was a lot of debate whether shutting down beaches was the right thing to do, with very vocal people on both sides of the line drawn in the sand.
But one lesson learned from the past year is apparent: Our beaches are beloved.
“It goes to show that the recreational and outdoor environment is a key part of the mental health of humanity,” said State Parks Superintendent Kevin Pearsall, who oversees Bolsa Chica State Beach and Huntington State Beach. “When we closed the beach is when the community really panicked and got upset. When we reopened, it was like a breath of fresh air.”
But the year following the coastal shutdowns still shows a wave of impacts from the coronavirus pandemic – and valuable lessons learned along the way.
During a pandemic, life’s a beach
Once the tidal gates to local beaches opened, people wasted no time flocking to the coast – and they never stopped showing up.
Other entertainment options like theme parks or movie theaters were closed until just recently. Youth sports were not allowed for much of the year.
So the beach, a cheap amenity with wide open space, became a place to go especially as restrictions eased through summer and people were allowed to put down a towel and relax on the sand without getting reprimanded.
A recent study by the Surfrider Foundation estimates 100 million people flock to the nation’s beaches each year, but because of limited recreation options during the pandemic, beach attendance soared in 2020 as much as 100% to 300% in some states.
“I think given the time and lack of other things to do, people just flocked to the beaches, which is generally a good thing. It shows how much beaches are valued,” Surfrider Foundation CEO Chad Nelsen.
While most local beaches haven’t released their 2020 beach attendance figures on the United States Lifesaving Association website, which tracks how many people show up at select parts of the country’s coastlines, the few that have submitted their figures showed a spike, despite beaches being closed for durations of time or having access limited with parking lots closed.
Newport Beach, for example, went from 7.7 million beach visitors in 2019 to up to 8.26 million, despite having days where beachgoers weren’t allowed on the sand, including the typically busy Fourth of July weekend.
San Clemente went from 2.2 million in 2019 to 2.6 million last year.
The increase in new surfers was apparent, with the lineups for waves up and down the Southern California coast crowded with newbies. That was good news for local surf shops that didn’t just stay afloat, but thrived.
One study showed an surge nationwide from 3 million surfers in 2019 to 3.8 million last year, a 27% spike, according to Sports Marketing Surveys USA.
In the four years from 2015 to 2018, only about 200,000 people joined the surfing ranks, according to Patrik Schmidle, president of ActionWatch, a surf industry analyst company.
A year ago in April, retailers were smarting from an 80% year-over-year decline, “arguably the most difficult month the surf and skate industry has ever had to endure.”
“Fast forward one year and the biggest current concern is having enough inventory to meet the seemingly insatiable consumer demand,” the ActionWatch report says.
There were a number of factors that, unexpectedly, drove people to surf shops.
“The combination of closed mall stores, consumers with extra time on their hands, and a desire to engage in social distancing-appropriate activities caused a dramatic increase in the number of skateboarders, surfers, bodyboarders, stand-up paddleboarders, skim boarders and wakeboarders,” the ActionWatch report says. “This increase in participation fueled an unprecedented, insatiable and seemingly ever-increasing demand for the equipment needed to participate in those activities.”
More people, more problems
The increase in surfers in the water has stirred tensions as wave riders compete for a limited resource, waves, as newbies learn to navigate them.
That’s why the Surfrider Foundation this week put out a “Good Vibes Beach Guide,” aimed at educating beachgoes about surf safety, reminding people to respect each other and to share the stoke.
“Those of us who are experienced need to be good stewards, need to share in a positive way,” Nelsen said. “I think the lineups are going to get more crowded, there’s more beginners.”
Nelsen compares it to driving in traffic: You can let it drive you crazy or you can embrace the wave of change.
“We need to be Zen about surfing and learn how to be more appreciative and sharing,” he said. “Instead of being greedy and fighting for waves, we need to learn how to share, try not to let it drive you nuts.”
Another message to beachgoers in the Good Vibes Beach Guide is to keep beaches clean, a needed reminder with the added trash strewn across the sand. With more people hanging out at the beaches came more trash left behind, especially as restaurants were shutdown and people brought more to-go containers of food and drinks to the beach.
“It came with challenges,” Nelsen said of the sudden surge in beach popularity. “Increased litter, overwhelmed waste systems, trash cans flooding. We really need to encourage the visiting public to respect the beach.”
In Los Angeles County, officials saw early on the impacts of increased crowds that overwhelmed cleanup services and prompted officials to create a public service campaign to “pack in, pack out” to encourage people to take their trash with them when leaving the beach.
In Newport Beach, officials on Tuesday discussed a “Better Beaches Initiative” to address the lingering impacts of the increased crowds, including spending another $200,000 to continue a “Boardwalk Ambassador Program” that started as a way to manage the crowded beach boardwalk during the pandemic.
City staffers were also asked to explore adding more beach trash cans and emptying them more often, and continuing COVID-19 cleaning services, such as wiping down benches.
Pearsall said all State Parks – the beaches and beyond – saw increased visitation and still have big crowds showing up daily.
“We need more lifeguards, we need more peace officers and we are working on that the best we can,” he said. “We’re doing what we can the best we can.”
The past year was especially hard on lifeguards, not just because they had more people to watch over, said Newport Beach Marine Safety Chief Mike Halphide. Lifeguards were suddenly thrust into a new role of policing beachgoers who were sitting too close, not wearing masks, or during full shutdowns kicking people off the sand and out of the surf.
When the beaches were closed, even when access was just limited, there was a high level of animosity, concern and frustration from a broad section of the community -– from the surfers, the residents and people who traveled in to enjoy the beaches, Halphide said.
“That was the hardest thing for us,” he said. “It was a really challenging time.”
And the public didn’t hesitate to let lifeguards know their feelings.
“Our job is to protect and serve the beach-going public, we were put in a different role. As lifeguards, we’re fortunate we have a high level of community support, it was unnerving to have that kind of response,” he said.
Part of the challenge was the different rules set by the myriad of agencies that oversee the coastline. When Los Angeles beaches had a hard closure, people traveled south to Orange County’s still-open beaches. Seal Beach and Laguna Beach had hard closures, while neighbors Newport Beach and Huntington Beach stayed open for the most part, but with restrictions.
It got confusing to say the least.
“It is crazy to imagine there was a six- to eight-week period, some places longer, that beaches were closed. To me, it’s a reminder of how important they are to individuals and communities,” Nelson said. “I think that was one of the silver linings of COVID, the ability to appreciate things – especially the ability to be outdoors.”
This will be a much different holiday weekend than last year, with all beaches fully open and operational, but be warned the weather will be cool and there will be some swell bringing waves into the 3- to 5-foot range, so use caution if heading out into the ocean.
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