34 02' 00 N
118 44' 41 W

More houses have been unwisely built directly on a slowly retreating beach. The houses stand on engineered stilts, which decreases the intensity of waves crashing into the house. However, there is no other structure, natural nor man-made, to protect the houses during a storm.

At the rear of the house (in the photo below), a sandy ledge approximately 8 feet tall, shows how much higher the beach was at one point long ago. Coastlines are constantly changing. Though an area on the beach may seem to be stable on a calm sunny day, a winter storm can bring dramatic changes and expensive hazards.

Click on a thumbnail photo to view a full screen image.

Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara Harbor | Shoreline Park | Arroyo Buro Beach County Park | Santa Barbara Channel | Santa Cruz Island | Isla Vista Beach | Goleta Beach County Park | El Pescador | Malibu | Mugu Lagoon Estuary | Sycamore Cove | Point Dume Beach | Malibu Bluffs County Park

San Diego Area | Santa Barbara to Malibu | San Francisco to Monterey