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Coastal Cruising In Southern California information round up

Posted on by in Beach and Ocean Recreation, Boating, California Coastal Cruising, California Coastal Notes of Interest, Catalina / Channel Islands, Coastal Dweller Reference, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Orange County, Recommended Sites, San Diego, Visitor Guide  |  Comments are closed
If you want to discover the pristine California that hardly anyone gets to see it should be done from the water looking back at the coast.  That is the view that original European explorers and native American Channel Island dwellers had.  Much of the coast and most of the Channel Islands remain unspoiled.  However, relatively few California visitors or residents venture out by boat whether power or sail, charter or private because of perceived or actual discomfort.  Such discomfort is minor compared to the experience of seeing large schools of dolphins playing, pelicans diving, whales breaching and seals sunning themselves on large buoys at harbor entrances greeting you with a yawn or a bark.   In sheltered coves of the Channel Islands some moorings and safe anchorages exist where, after arrival one can swim and snorkel an enjoy world class under water wild life with family and friends before preparing the evening meal.  Cruisers are...
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Meet the Artists for Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show

Posted on by in California Coastal Notes of Interest, Catalina / Channel Islands, Visitor Guide  |  Comments are closed
Friday, October 17, 2014 CatalinaConservancy.org AVALON, CATALINA ISLAND - We introduced you last week to four of the plein air painters who will be featured at the Catalina Island Conservancy's Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show & Sale on Oct. 26. This week, we would like to you to meet four more artists. Each will be among the 10 plein air painters who have spent considerable time on Catalina capturing the Island’s conservation in their works. All are plein air artists, which is a French term that translates as “in the open air.” It means these artists paint nature while they are in nature. The Conservancy has been sponsoring the art show and sale since 2011, and proceeds from the sales of the artwork benefit the Conservancy, including establishing a permanent collection of plein air art that can be seen at the Nature Center in Avalon. Among the artists participating in Catalina: The Wild Side this year is Andy...
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Heaven built on sand, Life’s a beach in Southern California

Posted on by in All other recreation, Beach and Ocean Recreation, California Coastal Notes of Interest, Orange County, Visitor Guide  |  Comments are closed
By Irene Seiberling, The Leader-Post October 17, 2014 A trip to Southern California wouldn't be complete without at least one glorious day spent exploring of the fabulous Orange County beaches, situated between Los Angeles and San Diego. Several beaches can be comfortably visited and appreciated in one day, such as Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. Each beach has a character of its own. appealing to both locals and international visitors alike. Pepe Avila, director of tourism development for the Anaheim Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau, offered these one word descriptions: Laguna Beach is "eclectic." Newport Beach is "sophisticated." Huntington Beach is "laid-back." Here's why each of these beaches is worth a visit: Laguna Beach Laguna Beach will particularly appeal to artists, with numerous art galleries and art events to discover and enjoy. Laguna's three summer outdoor art festivals feature over 500 artists and 300 art workshops. The seaside community's trendy shopping areas are sure to delight those looking for unique treasures or...
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Locals break record for relay swim from Catalina to P.V.

Posted on by in All other recreation, Beach and Ocean Recreation, California Coastal Notes of Interest, Catalina / Channel Islands, Los Angeles  |  Comments are closed
Posted: Thursday, October 16, 2014 1:31 pm | Updated: 1:34 pm, Thu Oct 16, 2014. by Matt Simon The Beach Reporter In complete darkness, a team of six swimmers recently embarked on a 21-mile relay from Catalina Island to Palos Verdes. At 3 a.m., the relay began with the first swimmer diving into pitch-black water with nothing to guide them but the ambient light of glow sticks hanging from a kayak. Keith Dickson of Hermosa Beach and Brent Blackman of Manhattan Beach faced the Sept. 28 ocean conditions with mixed feelings. “My first reaction was ‘OK the water’s smooth, the swells are good, my stroke feels great, but I will never do this again,’” said the 56-year-old Dickson. “That’s the mantra I kept repeating to myself. ‘Everything is great but I am not doing this again.’”   Full Story...
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5 reasons to visit Catalina Island in the fall

Posted on by in Beach and Ocean Recreation, California Coastal Notes of Interest, Catalina / Channel Islands, Coastal Dweller Reference, Visitor Guide  |  Comments are closed
Published: Oct. 15, 2014 Updated: 12:31 p.m.
It’s the not-so-little island that sits some 20 miles off the coast of Orange County. It draws visitors all summer, but once the leaves start to fall, the tide of visitors turns to a trickle. With plenty to do and off-season prices, however, the autumn months are a perfect time to pay a visit to Catalina Island. Here are five reasons why Catalina is an ideal fall getaway: FESTIVALS 1 Although the weekday crowds have largely disappeared, the festivities continue in Avalon. From smooth jazz festivals to fall celebrations, a harvest dinner, Halloween parade and costume party Avalon comes alive in the fall. This year is the first the city will play host to Oktoberfest on the Beach (on Saturday) with appetizers and unlimited beer...
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Linda Elias Challenge hits Long Beach, Oct. 18-19

Posted on by in Beach and Ocean Recreation, Boating, Long Beach  |  Comments are closed
posted: 10/16/2014
LONG BEACH – Sailors will hit the water to compete in the annual Linda Elias Memorial Women’s One Design (LEMWOD) yacht race in Long Beach waters on Oct. 18 and 19. Hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club, the fleet racing contest is sailed by 10-women crews on Catalina 37s. Organized by the Long Beach Women’s Association, the race is now in its 23rd year and welcomes several teams from as far as the West Coast and Washington State to San Diego. Full Story
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Emissions at Port of Long Beach drop despite increased shipping

Posted on by in California Coastal Notes of Interest, Long Beach, Orange County  |  Comments are closed
Orange County Register
Lauren Williams
Published: Oct. 10, 2014 Updated: 4:37 p.m.
The MCS Pena goes under Gerald Desmond Bridge in the Port of Long Beach in March. A recent study released by the port says that although the port’s handling more goods, air pollution is down.
FILE PHOTO: JEFF GRITCHEN, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Despite an increase in shipping activity at the Port of Long Beach, emissions have dropped by 82 percent during the past eight years, according to a study released by port officials. Since 2005, the Port of Long Beach has increased container cargo slightly by 0.3 percent, but in that same time diesel air pollution from ships, trains, trucks and other large machinery has declined by 82 percent, according to the Port of Long Beach, citing an air quality analysis. Read more

One Fish, Two Fish

Posted on by in California Coastal Notes of Interest, Coastal Dweller Reference  |  Comments are closed
Data collected by a UCSB marine biologist show that oil platforms create a fertile breeding environment for fishes
By Julie Cohen
The UC Santa Barbara Current
Monday, October 13, 2014 - 12:00
Santa Barbara, CA
  Oil platforms off the Southern California coast are some of the world’s most productive marine fish habitats, according to a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The findings could have important policy implications for the decommissioning and construction of oil platforms, wind farms and other offshore structures. “Given the hundreds of thousands of fishes that sometimes live around these platforms, these results were not a complete surprise,” said Milton Love, a research biologist with UC Santa Barbara’s Marine Science Institute. Love and a team of marine biologists from Occidental College and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) are the first to estimate rates of production for the entire community of fishes associated with oil platforms....
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Sperm Whales Drone Video Shot with GoPro Hero4

Posted on by in Beach and Ocean Recreation, Boating, California Coastal Notes of Interest, Coastal Dweller Reference, Orange County, Visitor Guide  |  Comments are closed
  Sperm Whales GoPro DRONE VIDEO by Danawharf

This is the first release of the SPERM WHALES GoPro  drone video , here is the full story on how we got not one but 2 amazing drone videos of rare Sperm Whales off our coast. SPERM WHALE video shot in 4K , with a GO PRO 4 Drone.

This Dana Wharf exclusive video featuring Sperm Whales frolicking off the Orange County Coast and specifically Dana Point is the first ever Drone footage from the encounter off Dana Point 10/6/14. Sperm Whales have never been seen close to shore off the coast of California.

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Shark Attacks Kayaker in Southern California

Posted on by in Beach and Ocean Recreation, Boating, California Coastal Notes of Interest, Surfing  |  Comments are closed
By: [KSBW] Shark attacks kayaker in Southern California SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — A kayaker who said a shark thrashed his boat in waters off Santa Barbara County, Calif., on Friday said he walked away unscathed and described the impact as worse than a car crash. "I was thrown 5 to 10 feet in the water in the kayak," Ryan Howell said. "I just remember my buddy yelling, 'That shark is huge,' and yelling my name over and over, but the kayak just kept getting thrashed." The shark encounter was the second in two days in the same area, near the Vandenberg Air Force Base, after a surfer was attacked by a shark on Thursday. Read complete story
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