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Capitola-In-The-Sea

By Andy Turpin | March 3, 2014 | Santa Cruz and Capitola |
You didn’t want to be transiting the Santa Cruz Harbor entrance this weekend.

© Skip Allan

A deep low pressure just off the Central California coast has been generating big waves, some as high as 25 feet. At sunrise Saturday morning, there were swells breaking a mile out, near Mile Buoy, in 60 feet of water. The Santa Cruz Harbor breakwater was in the shore break, with sets going over the breakwater and breaking high against the lighthouse.

The wharf at Capitola took a beating.

© Skip Allan

Four miles farther east, at Capitola, breakers were damaging the wharf and driving decking into the air. A lady sitting in her car on the Esplanade found herself being set afloat by a wave that broke over the seawall. A big cement bench, weighing several hundred pounds, was launched from the sidewalk onto the street. The police came to the rescue and closed the Esplanade as water, sand, and kelp made things impassable except to a big dozer.

The waves were so strong that planking and concrete benches went flying.

© Skip Allan

Exciting stuff for this small town that bills itself as ‘Capitola-By-The-Sea’. This weekend, ‘In-The-Sea’ would be a better moniker.

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