Winds, Icy Water Chill Out the Holiday Beach-Goers

It was Memorial Day, the traditional if not actual start of summer, and on the beach at Balboa there was everything you would expect--except a crowd.

The sky was clear and the sun was bright, the airplanes towed their banners touting soft drinks and radio stations, and boats zig-zagged offshore. But on the sand just west of Balboa Pier, Peggy Swanson of Arcadia sat alone--not another soul within 30 yards.

Solitude was great, she said, especially since typical Memorial Days at Balboa are “wall-to-wall people.” On the other hand, she said, “it could be a little warmer. I’m trying to convince myself that it is.”

That was hard to do, for Sunday’s strong, cold winds had not disappeared. Winds were still hitting 15 to 20 m.p.h. at Newport Beach, and the air got no warmer than 59 degrees, according to lifeguards. The winds had driven the water temperature down to an icy 54, a 13-degree drop overnight.

Consequently, few braved a plunge into the water. JoAna Price of Yucaipa and Lara Nettleton of Beaumont made the trip to Balboa “because school’s out,” but they barely got their feet wet before retreating. “It’s freezing, “ Nettleton squealed.

Keith Brush of Anaheim was wearing a wet suit, but it didn’t help much, he said. He was out in five minutes.

Lifeguard Mike Halphide, patrolling in his Jeep, reported that the beach population was just as sparse elsewhere, except beside the pier parking lots. But even there the crowds were thinner than on a typical weekend day. Except near the piers, lifeguard towers were unmanned.

Harry Rasmussen, who manages a bicycle, skate and beach umbrella rental shop near the foot of the pier, said business was beginning to pick up Monday, after Sunday’s weather drove away all but the hardiest beach-goers.

But it still was not as good as Friday, when 30 to 40 busloads of Oakland high-school graduates pulled up and pitched a huge tent on the sand. The shop set a record: $900 in rentals in three hours.

Other beaches also reported small crowds.

In Laguna Beach, where the mercury hit 72, the water was 52 degrees. Only about 8,000 people came to the beach, which has attracted as many as 25,000 on other Memorial Days.

Huntington Beach city and state beaches attracted about 50,000, about half the number for previous Memorial Days. By Monday afternoon, the winds had reached 30 m.p.h. and were forming whitecaps offshore.

Seal Beach reported afternoon winds of up to 18 m.p.h., which sent home a good portion the 15,000 sunbathers who were there earlier.

Where the air was calm, however, beach crowds were nearly normal. San Clemente reported no wind, a 68-degree high and 12,000 beach-goers, only a bit below par for a Memorial Day.

Those returning to work today will be interested to know that the winds are expected to have ended at the beaches, and clear, bright skies and air temperatures in the upper 60s are forecast. Water temperatures are expected to rise as well.

The Fourth of July is 34 days away.