Surface Motion
T he Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor
A timeline
With an emphasis on surfing
Research and commentary by Keith Johnson
Archival material from the Santa Cruz Sentinel and other sources
Archival photos by various photographers
How a dream of a small craft harbor became a disaster for some and a green room for others.
Is This the Birth of the Harbor Tube?
1963: The harbor shows waves even while under construction
Photo by Vestor Dick
Santa Cruz Sentinel photo
Surfing is a fast art form where shapes are sculpted in the blink of an eye. It's fascinating that this evanescent art form takes place over a medium of massive and slow geological change, the evolving coast. Sometimes the forces that change the coast are natural, such as weather and erosion. Other surf areas are shaped by human intervention and struggle.
The story of the Harbor is a story of Sand; how hard it is to control and what it means to boaters, surfers, and residents of the coast.
What follows is a timeline history of the Santa Cruz Harbor. It is a history of the long stretch of beach between the Rivermouth and Blacks Point which was divided by the Harbor. This history should be of interest to surfers and anyone interested in that stretch of coast. Follow links for photos, factual details, commentary, and opinion.
What follows is a timeline history of the Santa Cruz Harbor. Follow links for photos, factual details, and my commentary.
After reading the timeline read an interview with Jeff Devine on 70s harbor surfing.
"maybe it's illegal, but it's also pretty stupid to build a harbor that has surfable waves across the channel."
--Santa Cruz surfer, 1983, on illegal harbor surfing.
- Winter 1925-26: A major storm hit Santa Cruz that winter. Waves battered the cliffs at Seabright Beach.
- Early 40s: talk is heard among fishermen and boat owners of the need for a yacht harbor. Fishing boats are kept on the wharf, raised up on winches.
- September, 1947: A meeting is held at City Hall proposing the construction of the harbor. The site is chosen at Twin Lakes beach.
- The Army Corps of engineers insist that "the proposed harbor installation would in no way harm any portion of Santa Cruz's beach area, with the exception of approximately 200 feet of Twin Lakes waterfront."
- April, 1954: The Santa Cruz Port District commission meets with Army engineers to discuss the construction of the harbor.
- Col. George Walker, the district engineer, mentioned that the "erosion problem in Santa Cruz was severe and would require considerable remedial work." The possibility of an erosion study had been discussed, although money for it had been "held up by executive order."
- May, 1955: An erosion study is actually put into action. A steel temporary jetty is placed near Twin Lakes beach.
- 1958: Howell Rommel photographs the harbor site. Visible in the photo are waves crashing against the cliffs near Fourth Avenue. Landmarks such as a tree and cliffs mark the spot, yet the beach is completely different today.
- March, 1958: The test groin is removed by Army engineers and hauled away for scrap. The structure had rusted and was condemned as a potential swimming hazard.
- July 1958: The Senate Appropriations Committee approves $75,000 for the harbor plan. The federal government is asked to pay for 65 percent of the sand bypass problem, with the port district liable for the remainder.
- Winter 1959: A storm beaches 31 boats and destroys 14 of them. The disaster is used by supporters of the harbor project to stress the need for its construction.
- September 1961: Congress and President J.F. Kennedy approve $300,000 for a start on the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor.
- June 1963: The harbor nears completion. In a photograph in the Sentinel, shoaling can be seen already in the harbor mouth.
- April 18, 1964: Harbor dedication day. Meanwhile, efforts to dredge the harbor continue.
- September 1965: A sea wall near Pleasure Point collapses. Residents blame the harbor jetty for the erosion that caused the collapse.
- 1966? Capitola builds its own jetty just below Soquel Creek. Most of its beach has been lost due to sand flowing in the natural littoral drift without being replenished from the north.
- May 6, 1968: Three ships run aground at the harbor mouth during annual opening day ceremonies.
- 1969: An aerial photo of the harbor shows how much sand has piled up against the jetty and how wide the beach has become.
- January 11, 1970: The Sentinel runs a picture essay on the latest shoaling of the harbor. Sand completely clogged the harbor mouth.
- 1970-77: A series of dredging systems, all failures coincide with the heyday of harbor surfing.
- December 1977: Harbormaster Brian Foss begins citing surfers who pursue their sport in the channel.
- 1979: Geologists Griggs and Johnson publish a study on the effects of the Santa Cruz Harbor on coastal processes of northern Monterey Bay. The study cites abnormal erosion rates below the harbor all the way to New Brighton Beach.
- March 1983: Once again, surfers take blame for small boat accidents.
- July 1984: The harbor is clogged again, but this time with a plague of anchovies. Hundreds of tons of the small fish swam into the harbor and died in the oxygen depleted water.
- September 1984: Port District Commissioners approve a study on the feasibility of acquiring their own dredge.
- October 1986: Harbor Bill shares publicity with new dredge "Seabright".
- March 31, 1987: Spillage of sediment on Twin Lakes beach draws attention to the bypass system. Although the dredge functions well sand builds up in a new location.
