Cabrillo Beach
Only Vickie and I made the trip. I guess everyone else was watching the game.
Conditions were nearly perfect for the second week in a row. I expected
15kt+ winds in the afternoon, but instead we got 5 knots out of the west. We
launched into very gentle 2 foot surf at about 4:06 PM.
For some reason a small crowd of non-kayakers gather to watch us launch.
Vicki took note of the fact that she was being watched and was careful to
make a clean launch. After spending a couple of minutes getting pushed
sideways and waiting in vain for a wave large enough to float my boat, I had
to undo my spray skirt, get out, and move my boat to deeper water before a
successful launch. Very uncool.
For those of you who haven't paddled this area, it is very scenic. Cabrillo
beach is a south facing beach that is protected from the west by the cliffs
that extend from Point Fermin. While not apparent from a map, there is a sense of being
in a cove. Once you start rounding the corner toward Point Fermin, you have
be alert for the numerous under water features that can cause breaking water.
When the tide is high and the swell is low, you can paddle almost right next
to the cliff. When the tide is low and the swell in that area is 3-4 feet or
more, you really have to be careful. In 99 I got caught by a 7 foot boomer that
gave me a lesson in submarine side surfing. I'm more respectful now.
Point Fermin is always a fun place to play, but the low tide made it even
better. There are submerged rocks about 20 meters off the point that usually
only cause ripples in the water, but on Sunday water was breaking over them,
then braking again against the point. The area in between was very agitated
with water breaking on both sides, but a relatively safe place to hang out
for while.
We made it to White Point about 45 minutes after launch and took a short
break behind the rock reef. The water was quite bumpy entering. Not in the
Tsunami Ranger type of way, but in the fun kind of way. You had to stay on
your toes (blades?), but the consequence of failure would be more
embarrassing than damaging.
The reef at white point is a layered affair. The first (seaward) row of
rocks always has navigable water behind it. The final row usually has some
water behind it except at very low tide, but you can't paddle through except
at very high tide (maybe 6ft). We were limited to the first row on Sunday.
The water is usually very bumpy going in and out, but once inside its
relatively calm. Even when waves break over the rocks they may cover you
with foam and nudge you around, but little else. Outside is a different
story. There are submerged (and partially submerged) rocks everywhere. Many
of these cause what I call suck holes. I'm sure that's not the proper term,
but I found that if you get into one, it sucks you in the rest of the way,
possibly giving you a good view of the undersea world in the process. Its a
fun place to play, but also a place to be careful.
On the way back we rounded the point farther out because its more difficult
to see breaking water with the swell coming from behind and with little
daylight left I didn't want any mishaps. You'll notice on your map a place
near Point Fermin with submerged rocks labeled for tide rips. I'm not sure
if it is truly a tide rip, but swells do often break over those rocks. The
swells really steepen over a wide area so I think there are surfing
opportunities for those so inclined.
We tried to ride the back of a wave, but got caught by another one right
behind it. We both surfed in. I managed to avoid broaching (rare), while
Vickie got an opportunity to practice upside-down side surfing. I thought I
had evened the score from our launch, but unfortunately the crowd was gone.
Directions: From the 405 Freeway, go south towards San Pedro on the 110 Freeway,
which will end and becomes Gaffey, go left on 22nd Street, go right on Pacific
Avenue, go left on 36th/ Stephen White Street, go left into Cabrillo Park, and
the beach we will be launching from is on the right.
Steve Brown
Submitted on February 01, 2001