Surf Keeps Everyone on Toes

A storm in the Pacific north of Hawaii churned up the surf on Southern California beaches Friday, causing a small-craft advisory for the day and luring surfers to the shores. Six-foot waves were reported at Bolsa Chica and waves of five to seven feet were reported at San Clemente city beaches. Bolsa Chica crews brought out heavy equipment to create “sand banks” to keep the water off the parking lot and bike trail. “Two years ago the entire park was inundated with sand and water,” said Bolsa Chica lifeguard Terry Murphy. “Anything that does wash up to the parking lot will damage it because it’s in bad shape from two years ago. The drainage isn’t correct and the seawall is deteriorating quite rapidly.” Surfing activity was high for a weekday, according to Steve Lashbrook, the marine safety officer at San Clemente. “The surf generally doesn’t get much bigger than this,” he said. The weekend forecast calls for night and early morning low cloudiness near the beaches, with clear days and highs 64 to 68; the surf will be three to five feet from Huntington Beach to San Diego.