Do you like those nature shows on TV? Well, you’re in luck because we’re about to have an incredible show right here, live in Aptos! California King tides are coming back to Santa Cruz and Monterey before the end of this year. Get ready to hit the beach and watch this exceptional natural phenomena, and it’s something you won’t want to miss.
The so-called Kind Tides happens naturally now and again. They are the highest tides that occur when the Earth, moon and sun are aligned at their closest points. The result is the largest tidal range seen over the course of the year. The flip side is a very low tide as sea levels rise. Tidal events such as the King tides push seawater further inland.
King Tide are predicted to happen in Monterey Bay on December 22nd/23rd and on January 21st/22nd 2019. Make sure to put it on your calendar so you don’t miss it!
King Tide Activities
#1: Walk the Coastline
At the beginning of this year, my wife and I decided to take the kids to explore the tide pools exposed by the super low tide. I made a blog entry about it, you can read it here: walk at King Tide on New Year’s Day.
The King Tide hike was part of America’s State Parks’ movement known as “First Day Hikes,” with more than 80 hikes and other outings planned throughout all 50 states for New Year’s Day. On New Year’s Day, two wildlife interpreters from Seacliff State Beach led a public walk from New Brighton State Beach to Capitola Beach.
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When the strip of beach between New Brighton and Capitola is accessible walkers get a unique experience in nature viewing. A number of different tide pools are revealed along the sandy, rocky route — people get a rare chance to view and document various inhabitants and species.
It is so unique. You can check out countless sea anemones and hermit crabs, or starfish. Many people were able to find them very easily. However, on our last visit we couldn’t find any starfish, alas. Some folks even saw an octopus darting between the rocks!
#3: Find the Fossils
In addition, remnants of the natural history of Santa Cruz County’s coastline were exposed during the low tides, including many fossils — some millions of years old. One impressive sight only seen during a negative or king tide is the 5-million-year-old fossil of a whale backbone, embedded permanently in the shoreline.
This phenomenal natural show gives people a glimpse of what daily tides may look like in the future due to sea level rise, if we think about climate change.
The best places to view the king tides are in Watsonville: at Palm Beach State Park and the last mile of Watsonville Slough, as well as Elkhorn Slough.
So, make sure to check it out and feel free to post it in our instagram or Facebook page Aptos Community News!
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I’m a morning person – I’m usually up by 5 or 5:30 AM, sometimes even a bit earlier than that…and I don’t have to set an alarm to do it. But on Monday this week, I actually did set my alarm for 4:00 AM so I could get in line for the Capitola Junior Guards Registration at the Capitola Recreation office at Jade Street Park.
In case you haven’t heard, the Capitola Junior Guards is a program that gives instruction in the fundamentals of ocean water safety, first aid, lifesaving, fitness, and good sportsmanship. The program features open water swimming, paddle boarding, body surfing, surfing, mock rescues, beach & water games, calisthenics and work-outs. There are two sessions each summer, each lasting about a month, with classes every day, Monday through Friday.
When my alarm went off that morning, I tumbled out of bed and into my clothes, grabbed my keys and a light jacket, and headed out the door. I didn’t know what to expect – I figured I’d probably be one of a handful of people there when I showed up around 4:20 AM.
Imagine my surprise when I got there and found that I was already the 16th person in line at that time. Three people had actually spent the night, to make sure they got into the session they wanted to. It was fun to see that a half dozen friends of mine were already in line, too.
It turns out, that was no coincidence – my wife had talked with a bunch of other moms and they’d decided they wanted our kids to be in the afternoon “class” in the first session. There was some drama, though: there was a notice on the glass door of the Recreation office indicating that only ten spots were available for the class that we wanted.
Video – Capitola Junior Guards Registration Line
Almost everyone in line had a six year old kid, like my son, and they all wanted the first session afternoon class as well. There are two classes per age group per session, and the morning class was full even before registration day. This is because slots are given automatically (to those who want them) to children of families who have previously been registered for the Junior Guards.
As the hours wore by, the line got longer – a lot longer. Around 6:30 AM or so, someone from the Capitola Junior Lifeguards Parents Club brought over some great Peet’s coffee – that was a nice surprise! A little before 8:30 AM (when the Recreation office opened), someone came out and put numbered stickers on everyone, which identified their place in the queue. I’d say there were close to 150 people who got a numbered sticker before the doors even opened. Happily, it turned out that they had mis-counted the number of available slots; 15 were available for the class my friends and I had wanted, and I was able to register my son successfully.
I have lived in Santa Cruz for over twenty years now, and I’ve been aware of the Junior Guards for much of that time. It’s a local institution, and you could really feel the sense of community which was I think shared by everyone standing in that line with me. I’m so happy that our son Aiden will get to be in a class with so many of his friends. Technically he won’t be a Junior Guard – he’ll be a Little Guard, which are kids aged 6 through 8. I’m looking forward to seeing him progress and grow over the years with the Capitola Junior Guards.
Beer Can Beach is located just to the north of the Seascape Resort, at the end of Clubhouse Drive and down Via Gaviota. It’s a popular spot to take your dog for a walk, as dogs are allowed to run off-leash there. It’s also just a great place to enjoy the beach away from the crowds you’ll find on most other beaches as you move north up the coast. This beach is totally flat, and wide open. In addition to dogs, they also allow bonfires (although camping is prohibited).
There is no parking lot for the beach, so you’ll just need to park your car in the neighborhood (before the gate) and proceed on foot down Clubhouse Drive towards the beach. When you can’t go straight anymore, hang a left and walk down past a few more houses. There’s a flight of stairs there which will take you down to the sand. It’s unclear if you are legally allowed to drink beer on Beer Can Beach, but if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it…does it make any noise? And there’s the beauty of Beer Can Beach.
The folks at the Rio del Mar Improvement Association (RDMIA) have announced that the New Rio del Mar roundabout is now under construction. The RDMIA has been working with the County of Santa Cruz to bring a much-needed improvement to both the traffic flow and aesthetics of the Rio del Mar Beach area. As part of the construction the “Whaley” sculpture presently located at the intersection of Clubhouse Drive and Rio del Mar Boulevard will be installed in the new roundabout.
These efforts are part of the RDMIA’s “Beautification” strategy for 2014/2015. Part of the plan also includes construction of a new welcome sign to the Rio del Mar Beach Neighborhood, pictured here:
Rio del Mar Neighborhood Sign
The roundabout construction project should be completed in the next few weeks. The Rio del Mar neighborhood sign has not yet broken ground, but the RDMIA hopes to have the sign installed in early 2015.
In addition, there will be a new “memorial bench” program for new benches along the esplanade. The RDMIA is accepting donations to help pay for these improvements. Please consider donating, by sending a check to:
RDMIA PO Box 274 Aptos, CA. 95001
You can also make a credit card donation on the RDMIA Facebook Page. For additional information on the project, please contact Melanie Freitas at 831-251-3550 or at MelanieF1@aol.com
The wall itself is not public property, and the memorials placed on the wall appear to violate several California civil codes. A private property owner has complained; it is unclear at this time who. The memorials on the wall are to be removed within 60 days, although the California State Parks may come up with an alternative solution.
Supervisor Zach Friend has suggested nothing should be done before the public has had a chance to give their input. Concerned citizens are encouraged to contact Supervisor Friend directly.
An on-line petition has been created to save the memorial wall, with a goal of obtaining 5,000 signatures by August 31.
KSBW News and the Santa Cruz Sentinel are now reporting that the party responsible for ordering the memorials be removed is indeed the owner of the home adjacent to the wall, and on whose property the wall is built. Further, California State Parks is not involved in the removal of the memorials, nor is the Santa Cruz Sheriff.
Seacliff State Beach Park is one of the major draws to Aptos for out-of-town visitors. It is perhaps best known as the spot where “the cement boat,” aka the SS Palo Alto, lies sunken offshore. The beach can be crowded on summer days, particularly on any three-day weekend. Some of the biggest crowds, however, can be found on Thanksgiving Day, when many people come to the beach and use the extensive array of picnic tables and BBQ pits as they enjoy their Thanksgiving meals.
In addition to the picnic tables and BBQ pits, the park also features a number of restrooms and shower facilities. There is also a mile-long asphalt path along the length of the beach, which is a great way to take in the sunset and get some exercise at the same time. There is a long wooden pier leading out to the SS Palo Alto, and this is a popular spot for fishing. No permit is required for fishing off a pier in California.
The park is also very popular as a site to park your Recreational Vehicle (RV) as it boasts 26 RV sites, right along the edge of the beach, with complete and un-obstructed ocean views.
The park has a Visitor’s Center which is well worth a visit. It has a wide array of information regarding the SS Palo Alto, the beach history, etc. The center is run by the Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks.
There is also a snack shack is open during the summer months 7 days a week – you can visit their Beach Shack web site to get hours of operation and see the menu.
Rio del Mar Beach is perhaps the most well-known beach in Aptos, if only because it shared the name with the Rio del Mar neighborhood. Of all the beaches in Santa Cruz county, it is among the most accessible. There is a free public parking lot along the esplanade, and when that is full (as can often happen on the weekends or on the evenings for a particularly bodacious sunset), you can often park your car on one of the nearby streets…and in all cases, there’s no cliff to climb up or down, just a nice easy stroll from your car to the sand.
There is a restroom at this beach which is publicly accessible; the cleanliness of the bathroom is another matter – this is a popular beach and the restroom gets a lot of use, so if you come long after its most recent cleaning, the experience may leave a little to be desired.
The area does offer some amenities aside from the beach; there are a number of hotels/motels, a mini market, coffee shop, the Pixie deli, and of course, Cafe Rio.
The beach at Rio del Mar is long and wide, and it’s a great place for to go for a run. Visitors can also cross a bridge over Aptos Creek (that’s the Rio in Rio del Mar) and continue on to Seacliff State Beach and walk for a mile along a paved path to take in the sunset.
Tip: this is a great beach to bring your dog, as they are allowed on a leash. See also:Rio del Mar State Beach
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