Seacliff State Beach has always been a favorite or our family. There are sentimental reasons for this – my husband and I got engaged right down the beach. But, it’s also an awesome spot. We love the fit and friendly vibe of the esplanade. We love that you can walk for miles on the beach, searching for treasures or staring out at the ocean. We love the somewhat odd history of the cement ship and appreciate it as a fixture in our sunset views from the beach.
When the storms in January wiped out much of the esplanade and destroyed homes, business and properties along the coast, we were all reminded of what a destructive force the ocean can be. The devastation was far worse than could be conveyed in pictures, videos or even drone footage. Seeing it first hand was surreal. We arrived on the first day Seacliff State Park was semi-reopened and the mood was somber curiosity.
It was high tide and we walked the road through Seacliff, but on the road, as the walkway had been wiped out in most places. The entire beach was covered in logs, kelp beds, driftwood and random debris. It was amazing to see the amount of work that had already been competed to get things back in order. After strolling through the park, we got to work cleaning up trash on the beach and were pleased to see how many others had the same idea.
We spent several hours cleaning, looking for treasures, and staring awestruck at the destruction before taking a break with plans to return for sunset and minus tides. It was emotionally exhausting in a way we didn’t fully expect.
When we returned to the beach at minus tide, it was like a whole different world. The low tide and resulting vastness of the beach gave us a completely different perspective. Only a small fraction of the sand was covered in debris. So much trash had been cleaned up by beachgoers earlier that it was hard to find any. We explored the area close to where the pier had collapsed during the storm and got up close to the cement ship where the birds seemed unfazed by the change of scenery.
It wasn’t the most magnificent sunset, as we didn’t stay out late enough to see the end, but it was definitely memorable.