January’s storms are offering an unsettling glimpse into one of the Bay Area’s dirtiest environmental secrets: Heavy rain overwhelms our region’s vast plumbing system and flushes wastewater into places where it doesn’t belong.

Downpours triggered the release of millions of gallons of raw sewage mixed with rainwater across the region in just two weeks, spilling contaminated water into dozens of rivers, creeks and ultimately into the ocean and San Francisco Bay, according to a Bay Area News Group analysis of 88 reports to the state’s Office of Emergency Services.

“Flooded waters contain pathogens,” warned Eileen White, executive officer for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. “If you touch flood waters, you want to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water to make sure that you don’t get yourself exposed.”

When sewage flows into homes and businesses, expensive remediation and decontamination is needed to make them safe again. Overflows also may have dangerous consequences for the environment, because human waste, pharmaceuticals, shampoos and other harmful products are flushed down drains and toilets.

In one incident, the Martinez Refinery Company reported releasing more than six million gallons of storm and wastewater into the Carquinez Strait estuary, which drains into the San Francisco Bay, on Jan. 4, according to state records. The discharge of partially treated “process water” and storm water was necessary to avoid damage to the refinery, the company reported.

Dozens of other minor incidents were caused by open manhole covers, broken pipes and overwhelmed treatment facilities, from Corte Madera to Woodside and Half Moon Bay to Pleasanton.

State records show that between Dec. 31 and Jan. 3, a total of more than 14 million gallons of sewage were discharged in the San Francisco Bay region, enough to fill 21 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to White. The Jan. 4 storm triggered the release of another 8 million gallons, or 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

More recent releases are still being tallied. Experts say the total volume is likely to be much larger than current estimates because the chaotic circumstances surrounding these emergency flooding situations mean it’s nearly impossible to accurately evaluate the true scale and impact of sewage contamination.

Like bridges or skyscrapers designed to bear certain weights, stormwater management systems are designed within the limits of weather — and can’t handle the intensity of storms that might happen only every decade or two.

In dry times, waste from homes and businesses is whisked immediately away to wastewater treatment plants, never to be seen, smelled or considered again.

But two weeks of near-constant storms have stressed the system, as heavy rainfall and flooding infiltrate sewer pipes.

“We saw 13 times our average wastewater flows,” said Andrea Pook of East Bay Municipal Utilities District.

Most of the releases were caused when storm water backs up into the streets, flowing up through drains or manhole covers forced open by the overwhelming volume of high-pressure torrents, the reports show.

In Redwood City, a manhole overflow sent polluted water into Borel Creek at a rate of 150 gallons per minute. In San Mateo, 100 to 150 gallons per minute flowed into a storm drain that empties into Polhemus Creek. About 50 gallons a minute were dumped into Sonoma Creek. In Oakland, the overflow of three manholes spilled 25,000 gallons into Lake Merritt.

When a sewage lift station in Daly City overflowed because of stormwater, 35,950 gallons of waste were released into the Pacific Ocean. The rupture of a main treatment line at Moss Beach also caused a spill into the ocean. In Pacifica, an overflowing pump station caused 20,000 gallons to be discharged at Linda Mar Beach. About 34,000 gallons were released in Menlo Park’s Belle Haven neighborhood when a West Bay Sanitary treatment plant couldn’t keep up with the flow.

In Richmond, the West County Wastewater facility pumped sewage directly into the San Francisco Bay, according to a Jan. 11 report. “It is unknown how long the releasing will be going for,” it said.

Three discharges into Oakland’s San Leandro Creek, Barnhill Marina and an estuary at the foot of Alice Street originated from the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s “overflow structures,” which are designed to discharge water in high-flow conditions.

Farther south, a sewage treatment plant was flooded Friday when the Salinas River rushed over the banks of a levee. Percolation ponds in the city of Templeton also were flooded, sending 300,000 gallons into the river.

Cal Fire Caption Curtis Rhodes, walks past a home flooded by the Salinas River on Chualar Road near Chualar, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. Like many overwhelmed treatment facilities, a sewage treatment plant in Monterey County was flooded on Friday when the Salinas River rushed over the banks of a levee. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

Mother Nature is wreaking additional chaos. In Oakland, a tree fell on the sewer line, causing 5,100 gallons of sewage to be released into Sausal Creek. In Crockett, a hillside eroded and collapsed — causing a pipe to break and release 2,700 gallons. When debris blocked a sewer conduit, about 10,000 gallons overflowed into a drain that leads to Oakland’s Lake Temescal.

Records show that a single day — Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve — was responsible for the largest number of reports to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, with 51 discharges in different Bay Area cities.

On that morning alone, there were 15 sewage discharges in 12 cities: Hillsborough, Woodside, San Bruno, Daly City, Pacifica, Burlingame, Half Moon Bay, San Lorenzo, Richmond, Piedmont, Oakland and Daly City. By midnight, there were an additional 36 discharges in 25 cities: Alameda, Oakland, San Mateo, Richmond, Pacifica, Martinez, El Granada, Montara, Pittsburg, Corte Madera, San Francisco, Antioch, Redwood City, Dublin, San Leandro, Albany , Berkeley, Woodside, Vallejo, Menlo Park, Benicia, Sausalito, Pleasanton, Foster City and Hayward.

The problem isn’t new, said Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper, a nonprofit focused on the health of the San Francisco Bay. But the constant rain has exacerbated the issue.

“Over the years, and typically every time it rains, we see sewage spills in the streets and wastewater overflows,” she said. “But the back-to-back-to-back-to-back major storm events is causing a continuous discharge. That’s what’s new.”

With continued population growth, the demands on our sewer systems have increased, experts say. Meanwhile, more development leads to more asphalt and cement, so the bulk of the rainfall ends up in our sewage systems. And our wastewater pipes, often made of clay, are aging, so water infiltrates through cracks and gaps.

The rate at which the urban Bay Area is adapting to these threats is lagging behind the speed at which rain is drowning it, said Choksi-Chugh. Cities need to invest in replacing pipes and upgrading wastewater treatment systems to increase storage capacity and install more recycling technologies, she said. Cities also could incentivize homeowners to replace old pipes through grants or low-interest loans.

In the absence of major improvements to our sewer infrastructure, these dangerous overflows will increase as climate change leads to more extreme weather, say experts.

“Our old infrastructure is just not going to be up to snuff,” Choksi-Chugh said. “It’s not going to be able to handle these larger storm events, year upon year. So we really need to be thinking about the future.”

The post Storms ship sewage pouring into streets, creeks, San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean – Instances-Customary appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

January’s storms are offering an unsettling glimpse into one of the Bay Area’s dirtiest environmental secrets: Heavy rain overwhelms our region’s vast plumbing system and flushes wastewater into places where it doesn’t belong.

Downpours triggered the release of millions of gallons of raw sewage mixed with rainwater across the region in just two weeks, spilling contaminated water into dozens of rivers, creeks and ultimately into the ocean and San Francisco Bay, according to a Bay Area News Group analysis of 88 reports to the state’s Office of Emergency Services.

“Flooded waters contain pathogens,” warned Eileen White, executive officer for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. “If you touch flood waters, you want to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water to make sure that you don’t get yourself exposed.”

When sewage flows into homes and businesses, expensive remediation and decontamination is needed to make them safe again. Overflows also may have dangerous consequences for the environment, because human waste, pharmaceuticals, shampoos and other harmful products are flushed down drains and toilets.

In one incident, the Martinez Refinery Company reported releasing more than six million gallons of storm and wastewater into the Carquinez Strait estuary, which drains into the San Francisco Bay, on Jan. 4, according to state records. The discharge of partially treated “process water” and storm water was necessary to avoid damage to the refinery, the company reported.

Dozens of other minor incidents were caused by open manhole covers, broken pipes and overwhelmed treatment facilities, from Corte Madera to Woodside and Half Moon Bay to Pleasanton.

State records show that between Dec. 31 and Jan. 3, a total of more than 14 million gallons of sewage were discharged in the San Francisco Bay region, enough to fill 21 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to White. The Jan. 4 storm triggered the release of another 8 million gallons, or 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

More recent releases are still being tallied. Experts say the total volume is likely to be much larger than current estimates because the chaotic circumstances surrounding these emergency flooding situations mean it’s nearly impossible to accurately evaluate the true scale and impact of sewage contamination.

Like bridges or skyscrapers designed to bear certain weights, stormwater management systems are designed within the limits of weather — and can’t handle the intensity of storms that might happen only every decade or two.

In dry times, waste from homes and businesses is whisked immediately away to wastewater treatment plants, never to be seen, smelled or considered again.

But two weeks of near-constant storms have stressed the system, as heavy rainfall and flooding infiltrate sewer pipes.

“We saw 13 times our average wastewater flows,” said Andrea Pook of East Bay Municipal Utilities District.

Most of the releases were caused when storm water backs up into the streets, flowing up through drains or manhole covers forced open by the overwhelming volume of high-pressure torrents, the reports show.

In Redwood City, a manhole overflow sent polluted water into Borel Creek at a rate of 150 gallons per minute. In San Mateo, 100 to 150 gallons per minute flowed into a storm drain that empties into Polhemus Creek. About 50 gallons a minute were dumped into Sonoma Creek. In Oakland, the overflow of three manholes spilled 25,000 gallons into Lake Merritt.

When a sewage lift station in Daly City overflowed because of stormwater, 35,950 gallons of waste were released into the Pacific Ocean. The rupture of a main treatment line at Moss Beach also caused a spill into the ocean. In Pacifica, an overflowing pump station caused 20,000 gallons to be discharged at Linda Mar Beach. About 34,000 gallons were released in Menlo Park’s Belle Haven neighborhood when a West Bay Sanitary treatment plant couldn’t keep up with the flow.

In Richmond, the West County Wastewater facility pumped sewage directly into the San Francisco Bay, according to a Jan. 11 report. “It is unknown how long the releasing will be going for,” it said.

Three discharges into Oakland’s San Leandro Creek, Barnhill Marina and an estuary at the foot of Alice Street originated from the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s “overflow structures,” which are designed to discharge water in high-flow conditions.

Farther south, a sewage treatment plant was flooded Friday when the Salinas River rushed over the banks of a levee. Percolation ponds in the city of Templeton also were flooded, sending 300,000 gallons into the river.

Cal Fire Caption Curtis Rhodes, walks past a home flooded by the Salinas River on Chualar Road near Chualar, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. Like many overwhelmed treatment facilities, a sewage treatment plant in Monterey County was flooded on Friday when the Salinas River rushed over the banks of a levee. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

Mother Nature is wreaking additional chaos. In Oakland, a tree fell on the sewer line, causing 5,100 gallons of sewage to be released into Sausal Creek. In Crockett, a hillside eroded and collapsed — causing a pipe to break and release 2,700 gallons. When debris blocked a sewer conduit, about 10,000 gallons overflowed into a drain that leads to Oakland’s Lake Temescal.

Records show that a single day — Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve — was responsible for the largest number of reports to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, with 51 discharges in different Bay Area cities.

On that morning alone, there were 15 sewage discharges in 12 cities: Hillsborough, Woodside, San Bruno, Daly City, Pacifica, Burlingame, Half Moon Bay, San Lorenzo, Richmond, Piedmont, Oakland and Daly City. By midnight, there were an additional 36 discharges in 25 cities: Alameda, Oakland, San Mateo, Richmond, Pacifica, Martinez, El Granada, Montara, Pittsburg, Corte Madera, San Francisco, Antioch, Redwood City, Dublin, San Leandro, Albany , Berkeley, Woodside, Vallejo, Menlo Park, Benicia, Sausalito, Pleasanton, Foster City and Hayward.

The problem isn’t new, said Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper, a nonprofit focused on the health of the San Francisco Bay. But the constant rain has exacerbated the issue.

“Over the years, and typically every time it rains, we see sewage spills in the streets and wastewater overflows,” she said. “But the back-to-back-to-back-to-back major storm events is causing a continuous discharge. That’s what’s new.”

With continued population growth, the demands on our sewer systems have increased, experts say. Meanwhile, more development leads to more asphalt and cement, so the bulk of the rainfall ends up in our sewage systems. And our wastewater pipes, often made of clay, are aging, so water infiltrates through cracks and gaps.

The rate at which the urban Bay Area is adapting to these threats is lagging behind the speed at which rain is drowning it, said Choksi-Chugh. Cities need to invest in replacing pipes and upgrading wastewater treatment systems to increase storage capacity and install more recycling technologies, she said. Cities also could incentivize homeowners to replace old pipes through grants or low-interest loans.

In the absence of major improvements to our sewer infrastructure, these dangerous overflows will increase as climate change leads to more extreme weather, say experts.

“Our old infrastructure is just not going to be up to snuff,” Choksi-Chugh said. “It’s not going to be able to handle these larger storm events, year upon year. So we really need to be thinking about the future.”

The post Bay Space storms ship sewage into streets, creeks, San Francisco Bay and ocean appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

January’s storms are offering an unsettling glimpse into one of the Bay Area’s dirtiest environmental secrets: Heavy rain overwhelms our region’s vast plumbing system and flushes wastewater into places where it doesn’t belong.

Downpours triggered the release of millions of gallons of raw sewage mixed with rainwater across the region in just two weeks, spilling contaminated water into dozens of rivers, creeks and ultimately into the ocean and San Francisco Bay, according to a Bay Area News Group analysis of 88 reports to the state’s Office of Emergency Services.

“Flooded waters contain pathogens,” warned Eileen White, executive officer for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. “If you touch flood waters, you want to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water to make sure that you don’t get yourself exposed.”

When sewage flows into homes and businesses, expensive remediation and decontamination is needed to make them safe again. Overflows also may have dangerous consequences for the environment, because human waste, pharmaceuticals, shampoos and other harmful products are flushed down drains and toilets.

In one incident, the Martinez Refinery Company reported releasing more than six million gallons of storm and wastewater into the Carquinez Strait estuary, which drains into the San Francisco Bay, on Jan. 4, according to state records. The discharge of partially treated “process water” and storm water was necessary to avoid damage to the refinery, the company reported.

Dozens of other minor incidents were caused by open manhole covers, broken pipes and overwhelmed treatment facilities, from Corte Madera to Woodside and Half Moon Bay to Pleasanton.

State records show that between Dec. 31 and Jan. 3, a total of more than 14 million gallons of sewage were discharged in the San Francisco Bay region, enough to fill 21 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to White. The Jan. 4 storm triggered the release of another 8 million gallons, or 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

More recent releases are still being tallied. Experts say the total volume is likely to be much larger than current estimates because the chaotic circumstances surrounding these emergency flooding situations mean it’s nearly impossible to accurately evaluate the true scale and impact of sewage contamination.

Like bridges or skyscrapers designed to bear certain weights, stormwater management systems are designed within the limits of weather — and can’t handle the intensity of storms that might happen only every decade or two.

In dry times, waste from homes and businesses is whisked immediately away to wastewater treatment plants, never to be seen, smelled or considered again.

But two weeks of near-constant storms have stressed the system, as heavy rainfall and flooding infiltrate sewer pipes.

“We saw 13 times our average wastewater flows,” said Andrea Pook of East Bay Municipal Utilities District.

Most of the releases were caused when storm water backs up into the streets, flowing up through drains or manhole covers forced open by the overwhelming volume of high-pressure torrents, the reports show.

In Redwood City, a manhole overflow sent polluted water into Borel Creek at a rate of 150 gallons per minute. In San Mateo, 100 to 150 gallons per minute flowed into a storm drain that empties into Polhemus Creek. About 50 gallons a minute were dumped into Sonoma Creek. In Oakland, the overflow of three manholes spilled 25,000 gallons into Lake Merritt.

When a sewage lift station in Daly City overflowed because of stormwater, 35,950 gallons of waste were released into the Pacific Ocean. The rupture of a main treatment line at Moss Beach also caused a spill into the ocean. In Pacifica, an overflowing pump station caused 20,000 gallons to be discharged at Linda Mar Beach. About 34,000 gallons were released in Menlo Park’s Belle Haven neighborhood when a West Bay Sanitary treatment plant couldn’t keep up with the flow.

In Richmond, the West County Wastewater facility pumped sewage directly into the San Francisco Bay, according to a Jan. 11 report. “It is unknown how long the releasing will be going for,” it said.

Three discharges into Oakland’s San Leandro Creek, Barnhill Marina and an estuary at the foot of Alice Street originated from the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s “overflow structures,” which are designed to discharge water in high-flow conditions.

Farther south, a sewage treatment plant was flooded Friday when the Salinas River rushed over the banks of a levee. Percolation ponds in the city of Templeton also were flooded, sending 300,000 gallons into the river.

Cal Fire Caption Curtis Rhodes, walks past a home flooded by the Salinas River on Chualar Road near Chualar, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. Like many overwhelmed treatment facilities, a sewage treatment plant in Monterey County was flooded on Friday when the Salinas River rushed over the banks of a levee. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

Mother Nature is wreaking additional chaos. In Oakland, a tree fell on the sewer line, causing 5,100 gallons of sewage to be released into Sausal Creek. In Crockett, a hillside eroded and collapsed — causing a pipe to break and release 2,700 gallons. When debris blocked a sewer conduit, about 10,000 gallons overflowed into a drain that leads to Oakland’s Lake Temescal.

Records show that a single day — Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve — was responsible for the largest number of reports to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, with 51 discharges in different Bay Area cities.

On that morning alone, there were 15 sewage discharges in 12 cities: Hillsborough, Woodside, San Bruno, Daly City, Pacifica, Burlingame, Half Moon Bay, San Lorenzo, Richmond, Piedmont, Oakland and Daly City. By midnight, there were an additional 36 discharges in 25 cities: Alameda, Oakland, San Mateo, Richmond, Pacifica, Martinez, El Granada, Montara, Pittsburg, Corte Madera, San Francisco, Antioch, Redwood City, Dublin, San Leandro, Albany , Berkeley, Woodside, Vallejo, Menlo Park, Benicia, Sausalito, Pleasanton, Foster City and Hayward.

The problem isn’t new, said Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper, a nonprofit focused on the health of the San Francisco Bay. But the constant rain has exacerbated the issue.

“Over the years, and typically every time it rains, we see sewage spills in the streets and wastewater overflows,” she said. “But the back-to-back-to-back-to-back major storm events is causing a continuous discharge. That’s what’s new.”

With continued population growth, the demands on our sewer systems have increased, experts say. Meanwhile, more development leads to more asphalt and cement, so the bulk of the rainfall ends up in our sewage systems. And our wastewater pipes, often made of clay, are aging, so water infiltrates through cracks and gaps.

The rate at which the urban Bay Area is adapting to these threats is lagging behind the speed at which rain is drowning it, said Choksi-Chugh. Cities need to invest in replacing pipes and upgrading wastewater treatment systems to increase storage capacity and install more recycling technologies, she said. Cities also could incentivize homeowners to replace old pipes through grants or low-interest loans.

In the absence of major improvements to our sewer infrastructure, these dangerous overflows will increase as climate change leads to more extreme weather, say experts.

“Our old infrastructure is just not going to be up to snuff,” Choksi-Chugh said. “It’s not going to be able to handle these larger storm events, year upon year. So we really need to be thinking about the future.”

The post Storms ship sewage into streets, creeks, San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

LATEST Jan 24, 12:23 pm With a northwest swell sending dangerous waves to San Francisco Bay Area beaches Monday, the National Weather Service provided an update on the surf just before noon.

“Swell is up to 8 to 10 feet as period starting to fall below 17 seconds at some buoys,” the weather service wrote on Twitter.

Surfline, a website that provides reports on beach conditions for surfers, reported waves of 10 to 15 feet at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, 10 to 15 feet at Mavericks in Half Moon Bay, 5 to 7 feet at Pacifica and 6 to 10 feet at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz.

Naval Update

Swell is up to 8 to 10 feet as period starting to fall below 17 seconds at some buoys.

According to the webcams on @surfline breaking waves are

Ocean Beach: 10-15 feet
Mavericks: 12-15 feet
Pacifica: 5-7 feet
Santa Cruz/Steamer Lane: 6-10 feet#CAbeaches

— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) January 24, 2022

Jan 24, 8:10 am The National Weather Service warned of dangerous rip currents and sneaker waves through Monday afternoon with a northwest swell building off the central coast of California.

The weather service explained that the ocean could appear “deceptively calm with long lulls between large waves capable of knocking unsuspecting beach-goers off coastal rocks, outcroppings, and into the cold, restless ocean.”

A beach hazards statement alerting the public of an increased risk of sneaker waves and rip currents is in effect from Sonoma County to Monterey County through 1 pm Monday. The highest risk is at northwest-facing beaches including Ocean Beach, Montara State Beach, Marina State Beach and Monastery Beach.

The weather service warned the public to stay off coastal jetties, keep their eyes on children and pets and never turn their backs to the ocean.

Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea.

The post 15-foot waves reported at San Francisco’s Ocean Seashore appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Scoping the lineup (and the paddle-out) on a recent swell. Photo: SF Surf Shots.

This is my second winter living in San Francisco and surfing the infamous Ocean Beach. Frankly, the responses I get when I mention that to folks have been pretty surprising. People talk about Ocean Beach like it’s Nazaré without the Jet Ski assist, and while yes, the paddle out can take 45 minutes on a bigger or messier day, and no it’s not a place I’d take a friend out for their first surf, it’s not as bad as the public opinion might warrant. At least not all the time. There are definitely the days when it is just as scary as people say it is, and there are the days (like today) when it’s just as pristine and heavy and glorious as the pictures and videos show.

That being said, my favorite part about Ocean Beach is hardly the waves, but rather what they’re teaching me about myself and my surfing. I’m learning a lot, and have improved drastically since I started spending consistent time at The Beach. Here are some of the things I’ve learned, summarized into a few easy to digest points and paired with some of my own (not so great) shots of the infamous Beach taken in early January, and some (really incredible) shots from Ross Warning of SF Surf Shots during a couple of perfect days last week.

A recent “eight to 10-foot swell” massively overdelivered, with 15-foot waves and perfect offshore conditions. Photo: SF Surf Shots

Why I Love Ocean Beach

1. Ocean Beach is Always Breaking
Almost always. I’ve realized that some south swells in the middle of the summer will pass by OB completely, maybe bringing some dribblers to the north end by Kelly’s Cove but nothing more than that. But if we’re talking north swells, Ocean Beach is where you’ll consistently find the most size and the best waves if the wind stays favorable.

2. The Paddle
Wait a second are we still on the pluses? yup Even when it’s a fight to get out and I’m only catching a wave or two every 30 minutes, at the very least I’m building paddling endurance and getting great exercise. Ocean Beach is my local gym, and the price of entry is simply a broken board every once in a while.

Stick the drop, or else. Photo: SF Surf Shots.

3. The Power
The level of power that the wave has is pretty incredible and it’s pushed my shortboarding. When it’s low tide and the wave is really throwing, everything you catch is a late-drop free fall that either ends with you somehow hanging on or getting annihilated. The power will also teach you to deal with fear. Even on a medium-sized day when I go nonchalantly skipping out into the waves there’s sure to be a moment where that feeling of panic rises in my chest and I’ve got to just deal with it – like falling on a wave and being simultaneously pushed to the bottom and dragged by my tombstoning surfboard with no clue where the surface is. Stay calm, and you’ll be just fine. It’s the school of hard knocks.

Duck dive or bail? Easy answer on this one. Photo: Will Sileo

4. The Duck Dive Training
Speaking of hard knocks, I thought I knew how to duck dive when I first moved to San Francisco. I didn’t. At most other breaks, there’s at least some margin for error. Say you didn’t get deep enough, well the foam will probably catch you, but overall no big deal. Now say you didn’t duck dive deep enough at Ocean Beach? Get ready for a world of hurt as you’re treated to a high-spin cycle at the local laundromat. You’ll also learn when to bail your board, because it only takes one explosive set on the head with your board getting ripped out of your hands to realize you might as well have swallowed your pride and bailed.

When it’s good, it’s very good. Photo: SF Surf Shots.

5. The Incredible Waves
I’ve caught the wave of my life out there, multiple times, and I have no doubt that OB is where I’ll find the next “wave of my life.” As the saying goes, the best barrel (wave, really) of your existence is the one you didn’t think you were going to make. The wave right on the edge of your ability such that you’re barely capable of scratching into it but willing to go anyway. It takes a certain amount of “fuck it” to push yourself over the ledge. And with so much room for me to grow out there at OB, I can only imagine how many “waves of my life” the beach still holds for me.

Don’t be this guy, unless you’re looking for an incredible work out. Photo: YouTube Screenshot//NorCal Surfer.

Why I Hate Ocean Beach

1. The Paddle
The paddle might be a pro, but it’s definitely also a con. To be quite honest, the paddle out is overhyped. It doesn’t always suck. But when it does, it really sucks. On lower tides the inside bar can be a massive pain in the ass, and if there’s enough swell in the water, getting out can feel like throwing yourself against a brick wall. There is nothing worse than catching a wave (especially the first wave of the set), riding it a bit too far inside, and then being unable to get back out. Many a session has ended in frustration with tired arms that simply couldn’t carry me through the break and out the back.

Surfing OB is all about catching the perfect window where swell, tide, and wind align. Photo: Will Sileo

2. The wind
The wind is almost constantly changing. Apart from the handful of days per year when you got offshore winds from sunup to sundown, you never really know what you’re going to get until you’re in the water. You check the cams and it looks incredible, drive to the water and the wind has picked up but it still looks decent, and fifteen minutes later by the time you’ve made it out the back, it sucks and everyone is getting out. In one hour-long surf session earlier this year, I paddled out as it was sunny and lightly offshore, only to have the winds veer onshore before I could catch my first wave. Within fifteen minutes the onshore winds brought in fog so thick you couldn’t see the sand, which killed the wind and cleaned up the waves. And to cap it all off, fifteen minutes after that the sun came out and burned off the fog. I caught a few clean waves and didn’t stick around for the onshores to pick back up again.

When the current is ripping, with three miles of beach it can be a long walk home. Photo: Will Sileo.

3. The Current
The current is the true beast of Ocean Beach. You never know where you’re going to drift or how quickly. I used to think it was all the tides. When the tide comes in, an enormous amount of water flows into the San Francisco Bay through the Golden Gate Strait. So logically, with an incoming tide, the current should pull north towards the Golden Gate, strongest when it’s changing the fastest. Tide goes out, tons of water comes out of The Bay, and the current pulls south. But a couple days ago when the current should have been pulling its strongest south (tide going out pretty quickly) I found myself drifting very slightly north. And the day before that when the tide was bottomming out and I should have been barely drifting north, I found myself moving south at a good clip. If someone has figured out the formula, please tell me.

4. The Sand Bars
Thanks to the current, the sandbars are always changing too. See a good peak close by? By the time you’ve paddled over and waited for the next set, if you’ve somehow managed to beat the current and stay on that spot you’ll notice that the next set is actually breaking somewhere completely different. Paddle over there and you’ll receive the same treatment. Best bet is to stay where you are and hope for the best.

Good samaritans (and probably former carjacking victims themselves) trying to get the word out at Ocean Beach, SF. Photo: WS

5. Car crime
To cap it all off, you never really know when disaster is going to strike and how bad. Car crime is notoriously rampant in SF, and OB sees some of the worst of it. I’ve seen a bum walk car to car hand wrapped in a towel punching out windows just to get a better look inside and see if he wanted to steal anything. I’ve heard stories of surfers putting their key in a lockbox (seems safe, right?) only to come back and find a broken lockbox but no car. Every time I get back to my car, I breathe a sigh of relief.

In all honesty, my attempts to categorize and share these “hard and fast rules of OB” just goes to show how little I do know about the break after two years of surfing there. But I guess that’s just to be expected. Do the pros outweigh the cons? For me they do, so I’ll keep learning and surfing here for as long as I can. What’s your opinion of Ocean Beach? Feel free to sound off.

The post This Is Why I Love Browsing Ocean Seaside, San Francisco; and Why I Hate It appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis presents Dr. Sylvia Earle the award

Mike Gallagher receives Blue Marble Award

Lt Governor Kounalakis & Former Prime Minister of Greece Mr. George Papandreou at Blue Marble Event

Lt. California Governor Eleni Kounalakis presents the BLUE MARBLE AWARD to legendary marine scientist Dr. Sylvia Earle

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, June 10, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ – The Bay Ecotarium and its seven branches, including the Bay Institute, the Aquarium of the Bay, Sea., Celebrate 40 years of environmental stewardship, California’s environmental policy Lion Center, Studio Aqua, Bay Academy, Bay Model and Eco Expeditions welcomed former Greek Prime Minister His Excellency George Papandreou and Lieutenant Governor of California Eleni Kounalakis to an outdoor blue carpet event at the Hayes Mansion in San Jose.

“It is time for nations to unite for a green democracy and tackle climate crises,” said former Greek Prime Minister, SE George Papandreou, in his opening address to over 160 CEOs and executives gathered in Silicon Valley.

“We are delighted with the commitment of this White House to combat climate change with concrete steps and decisive political changes. The Bay Ecotarium will offer a unique platform to stimulate generation change. 75 years ago, San Francisco produced the United Nations that changed the world and it is time to bring United Nature to life, ”said George Jacob FRCGS, President and CEO.

The legendary ocean researcher Dr. Sylvia Earle received a standing ovation for her lifelong contribution to sustainable oceans. “I hope you can take something away from this evening, the realization that right now we have the opportunity to turn away from what we experienced during this period of decline in the Anthropocene. We have the opportunity to transform this from decline into relaxation and to make peace with nature, with the sea, with the planet and maybe even with each other, ”said Sylvia in her moving acceptance speech when she received the award from Lt. Governor Kounalakis accepted. “Thank you George Jacob for creating this vision, building on this idea – which was already a good idea – making a big difference in this part of the world and educating people who stumbled upon and got away from this great place at Pier 39. It’s a great place to be are “enlightened ….”

“We really have an American icon here – a pioneer in every way. Sylvia, thank you for being here with us – for joining us, for supporting this incredibly important project and for getting up every day and being our bravest fighter in our fight against climate change and the fight to protect our oceans! “Said Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor of California, when she met Dr. Earle presented the Blue Marble Award 2021.

The event also honored Michael Gallagher, Founding Director of Under Water World 25 years ago, with a moving tribute to his brother Patrick Gallagher, chaired by Caroline Beteta, CEO of Visit California and Roger Dow, President & CEO of US Travel.

Vicki de Witt
Bay.org
+ 14156030526
email us here

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June 10, 2021 at 7:54 pm GMT

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