Clean beaches for swimming! (Santa Monica, San Luis Obispo: crime, restaurant, triathlon)

[alyandbud]

Hi What are some clean, safe beaches for swimming in California? (not Northern). Thanks!

[Charles]

Zuma Beach






http://annwong.us/images/zuma%20beach%20kab.gif (broken link)

http://www.bluejake.com/images06/misc/2006_11_zumapch.jpg (broken link)

[alyandbud]

Zulma looks nice. Why is no one ever in the water when I look at pictures of California beaches. People do swim, right?

[Charles]

Originally Posted by alyandbud

Why is no one ever in the water when I look at pictures of California beaches.

I don't know.

Yes people swim. The water is warmest towards the end of summer, like August and September. In the summer the water temperature ranges from the mid 60s to the mid 70s Fahrenheit.

[notmeofficer]

"Clean" is a relative term in So Cal.. I may get a little afield of Zuma...

"Clean" really means that the level of bacteria is below hazardous to human health

Zuma.. while "cleaner" than say Santa Monica still is gross...

I used to fly in 109.. Malibu's Sheriff helicopter... trust me.. no beach is clean off the so cal coast.. when you fly over nice and slow and low you can see a brown grunge silt on the ocean floor for 1 -3 miles out... and all kinds of trash sitting on the ocean floor.. how can that be clean..

As far as Zuma.. add the Naval Air Station a couple of miles to the north in Ventura County.. Im sure they historically havent been good stewards of the earth

A little south of Zuma is Corral beach and then Surfriders Beach (by Alices restaurant) ... the surfers occasionally complain of respiratory coughs and other interesting infections.. I used to triathlon train there... never did like swimming around the pier.. cant tell me humans dont pollute

would I swim anywhere there today... no thanks... I got to see firsthand everyday while working our beach team what humans dumped into the water and on the sand... and why we spend millions with collection machines that pick up the stuff

A lot of hazardous waste was dumped off the so cal coast historically... as far out as Catalina island (where there's Nuke waste sitting on the ocean floor in nice rusty 55 gallon drums)

Add in storm drains and the L.A. river,, basically the big concrete sewer pipe... and yum.. nice cocktail going into the ocean

If you want answers... go here >>>

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safety... hmm ....well I would say Im biased of course because I was the Beach Team Sergeant on Zuma, so safety is also a relative term.. its definately safer than say Venice beach ..or El Segundo.. because we dont let gangbangers fly colors or act like fools,, because during peak times we send a sergeant and 12 or so deputies out onto the beach to cite for everything..like nudity or alcohol or dogs or a zillion other things that detract from a quality beach experience...
We put plainclothes deputies in the parking lots when we start to get burg reports with a trend from parked cars...

Has there been crime there .. sure.. its L.A.... from murder to everything else.. there is no sanctuary in L.A (the canyons of Malibu are well used for body dumps)

Now.. even with all the above.. would I go to Zuma over any other beach... absolutely.. but I would also be smart about how I acted

[Charles]

To the original poster, don't worry about swimming. Ninety nine percent of people who swim in SoCal beaches never have a problem. Cold water is the biggest "problem".

[quote=notmeofficer;2517560]add the Naval Air Station a couple of miles to the north in Ventura County.. Im sure they historically havent been good stewards of the earth


Point Mugu NAS doesn't access the water. (Port Hueneme does, a few miles north.) There is a beach at Mugu. Mugu is almost all test and evaluation of aircraft and missile systems. I used to surf there all the time when I worked there (ten years). One of the best places to surf on the California Coast as it has a fine break and no one else can get to it unless you are a badged employee like I was.


Add in storm drains and the L.A. river,, basically the big concrete sewer pipe... and yum.. nice cocktail going into the ocean
Yes, during and following rainstorms. Lots of old dead dogs, cats, and rodents too.

[Roaddog]

It's not to bad, you just want to be wearing hardsoled shoes so the hypodermic needles wont penetrate.

[Capt. Dan]

I would say go a little north of LA to San Luis Obispo county. Avila Beach. Pismo Beach. [remember Bugs Bunny? " I musta taken a wrong turn at Pismo Beach"] Morro Bay. Cayucos. water is a tad cooler than LA but MUCH cleaner!

[ChocolateTae]

Originally Posted by Roaddog

It's not to bad, you just want to be wearing hardsoled shoes so the hypodermic needles wont penetrate.

Going to the beach is one of the first things I wanted to do once I got to CA. Not to swim or anything but just to go. Won't have to worry about me going into the water. I normally don't go into the water at beaches because I can't see what's in there and it's usually so brown and yucky. But yea thanks for the tip.

[Charles]

I'm really surprised at all the negative comments about the beaches. I've been visiting them for 40 years and they didn't affect me at all....see?




Seriously, there's nothing to worry about going swimming.