Do you ever get the feeling somebody’s watching you?
Well, if you've visited Surf Beach recently, you may have noticed a new set of eyes…
Two new shoreline monitoring cameras have been installed overlooking the beach as part of California State Parks and Surfline’s Proud Partnership program to support the San Onofre Shoreline Resilience Project. While they may look like your regular surf cameras, these cameras serve a technical* purpose – helping us better understand how the shoreline changes over time.
*Although nothing gets much more technical than a group of dawn patrollers debating the perfect spot for the morning’s swell direction – “Dude! it’s 163° WNW at 12 seconds, not 160°!!”
Frothlords aside, these cameras will provide an ongoing visual record of the coastline, from wave overtopping events during large swells to seasonal shifts in beach width and sand movement. Pairing these observations with wave, tide, and weather data will help us better understand how specific conditions influence the shoreline, inform the planning and design of long-term, nature-based resilience solutions at Surf Beach, and eventually, provide advanced monitoring once the project is complete.
While these two shoreline monitoring cameras are not publicly accessible, as they’re intended for scientific monitoring and, well, pointed at the dirt, there's good news for ocean users! A third camera installed here, aimed at the surf, is expected to come online soon and will be available for Surfline users to enjoy.
Surfline camera installers, hard at work.
A big thanks, once again, to the folks at the California State Parks Orange Coast District office and Surfline for putting their heads together and making this monitoring opportunity possible.
We'll continue sharing updates as we learn more about this dynamic coastline and move forward together toward a more resilient future for San Onofre.
How to Stay Updated
If you would like to stay informed and receive updates regarding the San Onofre Shoreline Resilience Project and the state of the beach, simply sign up below.
The San Onofre Shoreline Resistance Project is supported by the California State Coastal Conservancy, in partnership with the Juañeno Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation, California State Parks, San Onofre Parks Foundation, Cal State San Marcos Indigenous Climate and Environmental Collaborative, Environmental Science Associates, and the San Onofre Surfing Club |