Tamarack State Beach in Carlsbad, California, has been significantly eroded by powerful surf, resulting in the closure of its public parking lot just before the Labor Day weekend. Nearly all the sand has vanished from the beach, transforming it into a rocky expanse. On August 31, waves measuring five to six feet high deposited baseball-sized rocks across the parking lot, prompting California State Parks to shut it down indefinitely.
“I’ve never noticed it as stark as it is now. That beach is totally gone. It’s never been like that,” Ken Bykowski, who was visiting for his annual vacation, told NBC. The timing of the damage is particularly inconvenient for beachgoers, as Labor Day weekend is a traditional peak travel period.
Because the parking lot is on state property, city officials in Carlsbad do not have the authority to undertake repairs. The city manager has stated that local crews are prepared to assist if needed. California State Parks spokesperson Jo Biswas indicated that the department is working with coastal engineers on a design plan for the site while monitoring the parking lot to ensure safe public access.
The recent damage follows a period of severe swells that impacted Southern California beaches in early August, attributed in part to Hurricane Genevieve. At Tamarack, the churning surf not only removed sand and damaged the parking lot but also necessitated the relocation of several lifeguard towers and destabilized the large boulders, known as riprap, that border the beach.
This erosion is not unique to Tamarack State Beach. In August, the city of Malibu requested that the state's transportation agency address escalating coastal erosion along the Pacific Coast Highway. Additionally, during the last weekend of August, Laguna Beach rangers closed the main parking lot at Aliso Beach due to large swells pushing sand across the area.
