Shell Beach, Central California

Sea caves offer their own special charm.  One of our favorites during our Southern California Sea Cave Survey days was Shell Beach in Central California.  Situated in an affluent residential area near Pismo Beach, sits one of the most impressive sea cave littered cliffs along the Pacific Ocean.

To survey the caves we brought a cable ladder to navigate the cliffs.  Across is a massive sea stack called Shelter Cove with a sea cave that runs through it.  We surveyed that cave and the four sea caves on the cliff, including the famed Dinosaur Cave.  Local legend of how Dinosaur got is name is that in the late 1940’s the landowner H. Douglas Brown wanted to build an amusement park by the sea named Dinosaur Caves Park.  In 1948 he began constructing a huge concrete dinosaur until the locals protested and the project stopped with the removal of an unfinished headless dinosaur in 1950.

Sixty years later, development talk of Shell Beach continues with present plans by the city of Pismo Beach to create Dinosaur Caves Park complete with restrooms, playground, gazebos, observation telescope, amphitheater and learning center along Shell Beach Road.

Both Don and I have always been more attuned to natural settings and this is what we are happy to present of Shell Beach.  When you watch our slide show you will see our actual survey being conducted.  Pay close attention to the photos along the sea mount, Shelter Cove, and you will see the survey tape stretched across as we did the land survey to tie in the sea caves to the map.  There were no fences then to block our views.  No aid of handrails to make it easy to climb down the cliffs to get to the sea caves.  It’s as exhilarating a view as you can get along the California central coast.  To us, it was a pretty and challenging spot that we needed to time according to the tide charts for the most negative tides to survey safely.  That meant we were usually there closer to the Christmas season.

During our survey our friend Pete joined us.  It was his first time ever in California and first time seeing the ocean.  He was so enamored he just remained standing way out on a rock mound and didn’t head our warning when the waves picked up.  A huge swell came in and Pete got knocked over by a big wave.  He was okay, to our relief.

We used to stop at Shell Beach to survey the sea caves, on the way to Avila Beach to survey those sea caves as well.  That was the mission of the Southern California Sea Cave Survey team in the 1980s when we were part of the original members. The SCSCS  mission was to survey the sea caves along the coast and islands of California.

­­With the new development plans for the park, these slides of the sea cave survey of Shell Beach will become more historic as it reveals how nature intended it to look.

Let’s go!

Estado de Baja California, Mexico

Sistema Punta Banda Sea Caves

During our sea cave surveys, Mexico became a highlight trip every time due to the rugged beauty, many caves, good cheap food and really nice people.  We were able to then camp overnight without fear and wake up to incredible cliffs and crashing waves.  La Bufadora reminds me of Mother Nature’s toilet.  You can literally get soaking wet if you stand too close as the wave surges up and out with fierce vengeance.  And since La Bufadora is right at the edge of the coast, it happens often to the unsuspecting.

The Sistema Punta Banda sea caves are abundant with numerous window rooms for gorgeous views.  When we were surveying the caves, our friend Ernie Garza’s shoes sank into the ocean when his kayak overturned.  Tragic.  I’ll never forget how much we all laughed when Ernie found old shoes that looked like they washed ashore years ago, and they miracurasly fit him.  With that we were able to complete our mission of surveying the sea caves of Baja.

It’s too bad there are travel warnings to Mexico these days.  Some of my fondest memories are there in Baja.  Like the trip Ernie lost his shoes.  That was the time Don got barked out by loud harbor seals as he was swimming with survey tape while surveying in the largest of the sea caves. We appropriately named it Cueva de las Focas Puertos (Cave of the Harbor Seals) and it measures 88 meters long.

Let’s go!

Leo Carrillo State Park

Malibu, California

Our family loves going to Leo Carrillo State Park in Malibu.  Just the drive all along the Pacific Coast Highway makes it worthwhile, passing Marina del Rey, Santa Monica, Venice, Zuma, all the famous beach locales.  The state park is beautiful and adjacent the mountains so you get the added pleasure of forest near the beach.

If you park in their lot, you need to go into a tunnel to get to the ocean, which is ideal for getting one into the sea caving mood.  To get to the sea caves, simply keep walking along the rock cliffs or in the splash zone.

There are a few small caves to enjoy which you can do barefooted and without a flashlight.  The largest of the sea caves has two entrances, so you can do a complete thru trip, as we say in caving when you go in one entrance and out another.  The larger sea cave is famous and has been in several movies and commercials.  Leo Carrillo is also a known surf spot and two months ago when we were there we even saw the paparazzi.  That’s Malibu for you.

Let’s go!

Thousand Steps Beach, California
Orange County

There’s a well kept secret beneath the cliffs of Orange County. Even if you know where the beach access is while traveling on the Pacific Coast Highway, it’s still easy to miss. At the foot of the cliff lays a 214 foot sea cave with multiple entrances so you don’t need light. Don and I were members of the survey team “Southern California Sea Cave Survey” that our friends formed many moons ago whose mission was to map all the sea caves along the California coast. We have the Thousand Steps Beach sea cave map hanging in our stairwell.

The name Thousand Steps Beach is very appropriate as you must walk steep steps down the cliffs to get to the ocean. As you step off, head towards the left and you can’t miss the cave.  We suggest you visit during a low tide to be able to explore more safely.  During the time of our cave survey it was possible to delight in the rich variety of tidepool life of starfish, gooseneck barnacles, anemones, including the rarely seen nudibranchs.  Oil spills and pollution have changed all that and nowadays it’s exciting to see any tide pool life in the sea cave.  It’s an easy, accessible caving trip for us to break in our friends who are new to caving and want to join along with us on our continuing outdoor adventures.
Let’s go!