Pictured above is one of many Newport Beach, California jetties.
Some Long Beach residents wish its jetties would disappear so surfing waves could return and hit shore once again in a place that used to be a surfer’s mecca. Corona del Mar in Newport Beach was one of the hottest surfing spots on the California coast–but that was before the jetties were built–not quite a century ago (100 years).
Man has a way of interfering with nature. Harbors for boats, home construction & protection, and a variety of human needs are fulfilled by the creation of jetties. The word, jetty, comes from the French word jetée, which loosely translates to “thrown, or tossed out”.
The cities that have not made use of jetties are where surfers gravitate to find the most challenging waves often accessible just offshore. And cities that have adopted jetties for commercial building, dredging and seawall protection, have encountered unexpected or unanticipated consequences to these manmade “mixed blessings”. In Newport Beach, for instance, the harbors and bays are in desperate need of dredging from build up that has occurred as a result of the jetties. Financing such major cleanup efforts is a challenge, which Newport Beach continues to face as it plugs away, removing materials one barge at a time, while boaters must consider the depth of the water and if they can get in and out of harbor safely.
One surprise that came out of the jetties constructed at this particular location was a phenomenon called “The Wedge”. Because the ocean comes roaring in and hits a particular jetty at a certain angle, the back wash of the waves at this spot create a 1-2 punch that body boarders especially love. Dangerous and exciting, some of the greatest body boarding challenges on the California coast happen at The Wedge.
Sadly, nature’s fury can take its toll as some swimmers have broken backs and necks at this very location. A couple on the jetty to fish (a popular sport on California’s jetties) were washed into the sea just a year or two ago when a strong wave knocked them off the rocks. Their bodies were found later.
Another popular activity for kids and parents is looking for sandcrabs, starfish and other sea creatures in the jetty crevices and hidden places.
