King Tides, Giant Swell Damage San Diego Seal Refuge (VIDEO)
Since 1932, a seawall in La Jolla, California has protected a small stretch of beach from ocean swells, providing refuge for kids, pupping seals, and sea lions.
Children’s Pool, it’s been dubbed.
But during the recent run of historic swell at the end of 2023, coupled with king tides, the structure was slammed by massive surf, requiring pending repairs.
Per a report from CBS 8 San Diego:
“Recent powerful waves brought down portions of the sea wall at the Children's Pool in La Jolla. We alerted the City of San Diego and now crews were seen inspecting the damage.
“The Sierra Club Seal Society said because we made them aware of the seawall repairs that are needed, they are going to contact the city and ask them to hold off on any work until after the seal pupping season is over.
“The damage was caused by last week's king tides. Local photographers sent incredible images of the roaring waves crashing over the sea wall via the CBS 8 app using the Near Me feature. In some of the images, you can see the railing is still there, but Chopper 8 aerials on Thursday showed the railing was gone.”
As seen in the social media photos above and below, massive waves were toppling over the seawall during the swell, which led to the damage.
For coastal infrastructure the historic last gasp swell of 2023 was not so great; however, for surfers, it was a different story.
Just north of the damaged Children’s Pool, Blacks Beach was absolutely bombing – with “20-30 foot” waves, claimed one local surfer – evoking a Nazaré-esque scene as mountainous peaks detonated across the beachbreak.
And the season’s not over yet; more king tides and swell are coming.
Stay tuned.
Stay safe.
***
Don't miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Instagram, and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.
Whether you're a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.
