Del Mar Beach

Waves on the way?

Talk about getting snaked in the lineup…
Highly-venomous predator threatens Southern California beaches as El Niño temps continue https://nypost.com/2026/08/27/us-news/el-nino-could-bring-highly-venomous-yellow-bellied-sea-snake-to-socal-beaches/

Highly-venomous predator threatens Southern California beaches as El Niño temps continue Warmer ocean temperatures could bring the highly venomous yellow-bellied sea snake into Southern California waters, where rare sightings have occurred during past warming events.

I thought this article was about my in-laws visiting…

https://abc7.com/post/rattlesnakes-are-showing-surprising-places-southern-california-whats-behind-trend/19747283/
Rattlesnakes are showing up in surprising places across Southern California. What's behind the trend

Rattlesnake sightings on the rise in Southern California. What's behind the trend? As temperatures soar, more Southern Californians are reporting rattlesnake encounters. Here's why experts say sightings are on the rise.

Leucadia in the sky, with diamonds…
Bioluminescent phytoplankton create their own light during a red tide in the rolling surf along the coast of Leucadia

Licensable picture: Bioluminescent phytoplankton create their own light during a red tide in the rolling surf along the coast of Leucadia Bioluminescent phytoplankton create their own light during a red tide in the rolling surf along the coast of Leucadia, California September 29, 2011. A water...

Ten minutes of WAVE WIPE-OUT TERROR...

https://cstu.io/0550b4ipe

THIS IS INSANE // BEST OF WIPEOUTS VOL 3 // SURFING & BODYBOARDING COMPILATION DEATH DEFYING SLAMS FROM THE WORLDS HEAVIEST WAVES.You spoke and ...

Not coming to a water faucet near you - water?
Federal government orders steep Colorado River water cuts for Arizona, California and Nevada
On Friday, the agency ordered steep cuts to the amount of Colorado River water that will be delivered to California, Nevada and Arizona.

Federal government orders steep Colorado River water cuts for Arizona, California and Nevada While the cuts are considerable, they are better than the worst-case scenario the federal government proposed in July.

Waves, waves, waves?

Future

Visiting Del Mar, CA | CBS 8 Zip Trip

Visiting Del Mar, CA | CBS 8 Zip Trip CBS 8 is hitting the road to feature the vibrant areas of San Diego County. On this Zip Trip, we visit Del Mar and all that makes this community great.

Have poisonous Yellow-bellied Seasnakes ever been found on our beaches?

Seasnakes are rarely seen in California. The first confirmed sighting was in 1972. They tend to be found north of their typical range in California waters mostly during El Niño years when ocean water temperatures rise several degrees above their average which allows marine animals normally found farther south to survive in California waters. However, an increasing number of sightings of seasnakes in California may be caused by the general rise in ocean temperatures and may indicate that the species is expanding its range northward. Ernst (1992) says about P. platurus: "On occasion they may be blown or drift to the extremes of their range in the eastern Pacific, and this is most likely how they rarely reach southern California."

Most snakes found on the beach are weak and sick and pose little threat to humans. According to a 1/11/18 Orange County Register article, Greg Pauly of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles "... said there have been no reported human fatalities as a result of the seasnake’s venom." Even so, it is still unwise to get close to them or try to handle them.

(Climate and El Niño information shown below is from the National Weather Service.)

I have found records of five Yellow-bellied Seasnakes that can be confirmed as found in California either by museum records or reputable sources:

1. San Clemente, Orange County, November 23, 1972 (LACM museum record).
1972-1973 was a strong El Niño winter.
This snake was documented in 1983, a year which has been mistakenly associated with the year the snake was found.

2. A live seasnake was found on a beach in Oxnard, Ventura County, October 15, 2015. After it died it was collected and will be deposited in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
2015-2016 was a strong El Niño winter.
Ventura County Star 10/15
KTLA 10/16/15

3. A dead 27-inch long seasnake was found on December 12th at a Surfrider Foundation coastal cleanup event at Bolsa Chica State Beach. The snake was collected and will be deposited in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
2015-2016 was a strong El Niño winter.
KTLA 12/19/15
LA Times 12/19/15
Los Alamitos-Seal Beach Patch 12/20/15

4. A live seasnake was found at about 2:30 p.m. on Dog Beach in Coronado, San Diego County, on January 12th, 2016, making it the third one found during the 2015-2016 El Niño winter. The snake died shortly after capture. It has been described as being 20 inches in length. It will be put in the collection of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
LA Times 1/13/16
NBC San Diego 1/12/16
NY Daily News 1/14/16

5. A live but weak and sick 25 inch long female seasnake was found by a person walking along the surf near the 18th Street lifeguard tower in Newport Beach, Orange County, on Monday, January 8th, 2018. This sighting is unusual in that it did not occur during an El Niño winter. The snake will go on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
LA Times 1/11/18
Orange County Register 1/11/18
CBS Los Angeles 1/11/18
https://californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/h.platurus.html