Surf Beach, what a beautiful place! This is probably one of the few beaches in California where a person can stand and look in either direction, as far as you can see, and find only a handful of people.
There was once a small summer village and a racetrack at Ocean Park. Railroad employees lived near the Surf Station, and many locals learned how to water ski in the estuary of the Santa Ynez River.
All of those improvements are long gone because the military acquired the beach and 150 square miles of ranchland in the 1940s for a military training base (Camp Cooke and Arguello Naval Air Station) and Bradley Dam blocked the flow of the river, reducing the depth of the estuary and ending the water-skiing adventures.
Cool wind blows stoutly, and clouds hang on the horizon as seabirds circle looking for goodies stirred up from the tidal sands. Mist rises from the crest of the waves, and shorebirds run about hoping for some tasty treats.
The ocean seems to change every few minutes. What was a wild and restless surf suddenly transforms to a peaceful ocean with only a few low waves to remind you that the water is forever active.
People had been traveling to Surf and nearby Ocean Park for more than 100 years to play and fish on the beach. Hundreds of people visited each week to breathe in the salty sea air, scamper on the sand, fish, and watch the dolphins play in the breaking waves.
Asian fishermen from all over Southern California used to visit and cast their lines for barred perch. This is the favored fish in this part of the world. When Los Angeles and Orange County fishermen were asked why they travel so far to fish in the ocean, they always reply: “Because the water is clean here.” Fishermen could once be spotted as the fishing hole shifted south for the summer. Each year it moved up and down the area in front of the Amtrak station.
Surfers were always looking for the right curl. Sometimes they would stand at the gate and stare for several minutes at the waves and then leave. Other times they stared and then put their wet suits on, grabbed their boards, and headed for the water. There, they joined the dolphins jumping in and out of the surf.
Little children were the best beachgoers! They were so excited when they got to the beach with their buckets and shovels. They seemed intent on a search for seashells and other treasures of the beach. From the top of the ramp, they looked like little birds with their parents keeping an eye on them as they screeched with delight.
The kids didn’t notice the steep climb back from the beach, but their parents and grandparents did! The sand is illusive—it looks so easy going down to the surf line. But the climb back up the hill was in loose sand and rises about 100 feet in about 100 yards.
That was before the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mandated restrictions during the Western snowy plover mating season between March to September each year, and Vandenberg Air Force Base—responding to a Clinton-era executive order to comply with all environmental edicts—closed large portions of the beach.
Shore fishing was banned a couple of years later after environmentalists demanded that the fishery be closed because it was being overfished. How a single fisherman, or a dozen fishermen, could be responsible for overfishing the Pacific Ocean seems questionable.
But, after more than 25 years of beach closures, an agreement was recently reached with Fish and Wildlife Service and Vandenberg officials to relax some of those restrictions. Other efforts are ongoing to try and allow canoes and other paddle boats to use the estuary, which is home to more than 100 species of birds.
Mayor Jenelle Osborne led the effort to relax restrictions on behalf of the city of Lompoc. “I am excited and very hopeful for the future of Surf Beach,” she said. “Vandenberg Air Force Base and the California Coastal Commission are listening to the community, recognizing Surf Beach’s history and importance to Lompoc, and improving the beach and local access to it, all while protecting the Western snowy plover. The base’s proposal to eliminate the 50-violation beach closure next summer, and the Fish and Wildlife Service accepting the request, is a major milestone for our community.”
This effort was almost derailed when Councilmember Jim Mosby circulated a petition that contained several factual errors concerning who was responsible for the closures. Understandably, this irritated base officials who were sympathetic to allowing beach access and thought they were bargaining in good faith with city officials.
After the dust settled, some changes were made. While the beach won’t be closed after 50 violations, the base will continue to track violations of the rules. It’s those rules that are essentially unchanged. Sections of the beach will be closed: Campfires, digging, fishing, horses, kite flying, and dogs are still prohibited.
So, go enjoy the section of beach that’s open to the public, but respect the restrictions that are in place.
Ron Fink writes from Lompoc. Send comments through the editor at clanham@santamariasun.com or email a letter for publication to letters@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 12-19, 2020.
