San Diego Pebble Beaches: The Surprising Truth
One of San Diego’s main tourist attractions are the miles-long sandy beaches. Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Ocenside all are known as picturesque California beach towns where life is always good in the waves and sand. But did you know that much of that picture-perfect beach look is man-made? That lovely beach sand covers up a big secret – many of San Diego’s beaches are actually pebble beaches! That is right – if people let nature take its course, San Diego’s beaches would not be covered in sand but instead littered with millions of beach pebbles.
This is one of the beaches in La Jolla in 2016 and, as you can see, there are more pebbles than sand on it:
Beach pebbles at the beach in La Jolla, San Diego, California, year 2016
Why is Sand Washed Off the Beaches in La Jolla, Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Oceanside?
The disappearance of sand is a completely natural process. Because of the geographical location of San Diego beaches, the depth of the adjacent ocean, and the strength of prevailing tides and waves, sand is gradually washed back into the ocean. This happens mainly over the summer and fall months. During winter and spring some of the sand is deposited back onto the beaches by the changing tides. However, recently San Diego has experienced several very strong El Nino years, which resulted in more pronounced sand loss. The rise of the sea level is another factor resulting in more and more sand being swallowed by the ocean.
But There is Sand on San Diego Beaches!
Yes, San Diego beaches are sandy most of the time. This is because of regular, extensive, and very expensive sand maintenance and replenishment programs. In short, every few years giant construction equipment arrives at the beaches. Unique giant vacuum-type machines are used to suction sand from nearby lagoons, fish nurseries, and estuaries onto the beach where it is left to dry. Next, excavators and bulldozers are used to spread the sand across the beaches and achieve a uniform layer. This is usually done in the winter and early spring months. Alas, by the time summer tourism season rolls around, all of the beach pebbles are covered up and San Diego white beaches look as sandy as ever!
Some San Diego cities, however, are not lucky enough to have large sources of sand nearby. What do they do? One solution is a 28.5 million dollar program administered by SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments). As part of this program, a giant ship is loaded with white sand. The ship then travels to Imperial Beach, Encinitas, Oceanside and other coastal cities in need of sand. The ship is stationed just offshore, and sand is pumped out of it and onto the beaches via giant hoses. Lastly, bulldozers and other heavy equipment is used to distribute the sand across large stretches of beaches. In 2012, SANDAG shipped 1.4 million cubic yards to various San Diego beaches, which is about 120,000 truckloads of sand! To learn more about this process, click here.
Why Does San Diego Spend So Much Effort and Money to Cover Up Its Pebble Beaches?
The good people of San Diego have several very good reasons for continuously placing sand on their beaches. First, the San Diego region’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism. And while we think that pebble beaches are absolutely gorgeous, tourists tend to prefer white, sandy beaches. Coronado, Mission Bay, La Jolla, Encinitas surfing destinations, Carlsbad’s Legoland and Oceanside’s laid-back beach vibe are all associated with miles of warm, sandy shores. No sand, no tourists goes the reasoning, and thus the sand restoration program continues.
Another important reason for replenishing sand on San Diego’s rocky beaches is because it helps protect against further beach and cliff erosion. San Diego coastline boasts numerous million-dollar homes that would literally fall into the ocean if the beach was eroded away. Many highways and railroads are also built to take advantage of the breathtaking ocean scenery. Allowing the process of natural erosion to continue naturally would threaten the integrity and safety of this infrastructure.
The Future of San Diego Beaches: Pebble Rock or Sand?
While nobody can predict the future, it seems that sea level rise and increasingly frequent strong El Nino events are here to stay. This means that San Diego beaches will lose more of its sand faster and faster. Restoring it will require more frequent sand application, more heavy machinery on the beaches, more money, and more labor. Is it all worth it? This is the question San Diegans are starting to discuss. For now the answer seems yes so we can all enjoy miles of white, warm sand for a few more years. However, in more distant future San Diego might become known as a destination for some of the world’s most beautiful, serene pebble beaches!
And in case you were worrying – California already has protections in place to guard against removal of beach pebbles. In fact, it is a violation of California Code of Regulations Title XIV Section 4307 to remove any natural minerals from the beaches, including sand and rocks.