Cottonwood Creek, Moonlight Beach, Encinitas

Moonlight State Beach is a state beach in

Encinitas, California Encinitas ( Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south ...

. It is located one fifth of a mile beyond the point where Encinitas Boulevard turns into B Street after it crosses Highway 101.Irons 2007, online article The beach area is well equipped for both children's and adults' recreation. It is popular with both tourists and residents, and it is one of the most visited beaches in Encinitas.Holtzclaw & Welch 2006, 119 This sand beach is used for

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...

, swimming, surf fishing,

beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of th ...

, and

bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Etymology The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Catho ...

History

Early female settlers washed clothing in nearby Cottonwood Creek, then provided picnics for their families while the laundry dried. Land prospector J. S. Pitcher, who owned much of Encinitas, built a bathhouse, playground, boardwalk, dance hall, and several picnic areas. Between 1915 and 1925, Moonlight Beach began to attract North County residents for social outings. Popular events included

horse races Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

. At that time, during low tide, one could drive a

Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...

north on the beach all the way to Oceanside.

Surfing

Linda Benson, five-time women's world surfing champion, who learned to surf at Moonlight Beach in the late 1950s, says that “Moonlight Beach is not a great longboard wave anymore. It's changed and it's pretty much a

shortboard A surfboard is a narrow plank used in surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding an ocean wave. They were invented in ancient Hawaii, where they were known as ''papa he'e ...

wave now. It really breaks hard and fast now. It wasn't like that. It was a fun beach break”. The wave breaks best during a southwest swell with a rising tide. The sandbars also have a tremendous impact on the quality of the wave.

Volleyball

Since the early 1950s, two-man volleyball has been played at Moonlight Beach. Several of the players from the Pro Tour practice their game at Moonlight. Originally there was only one court in the middle of the beach, but currently there are three courts at the north end of the beach. Every year since 1964 in the month of October, a Mixed Doubles Volleyball Tournament is held here; many of the top beach players in the world participate.

Water quality

Because of the presence of harmful bacteria in dry-season urban run-off into Cottonwood Creek, a small creek that runs into the ocean at Moonlight Beach,

water quality Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...

has been an issue at Moonlight Beach in the past, especially after significant rain events. For example, in 2002, the beach earned a "D" grade from "

Heal the Bay Heal the Bay is a U.S. environmental advocacy group of activists based in Santa Monica, California. The focus is protecting coastal waters and watersheds of southern California, and is focused on Santa Monica Bay. Heal the Bay is a 501(c)(3) ...

", a Santa Monica-based

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

which monitors water quality along the

California coast Coastal California, also known as the California Coastline and the Golden Coast, refers to the coastal regions of the U.S. state of California. The term is not primarily geographical as it also describes an area distinguished by cultural, economic ...

. Water quality in Cottonwood Creek has since however improved significantly because of UV treatment carried out routinely in the urban run-off treatment facility on B Street at 2nd Street; from April 2005 through March 2007, the beach earned five As and one B from Heal the Bay.

Facilities

The beach is open for use all day except between 2 am and 4 am. There is a parking lot above the beach which is open from 5 am to 10 pm. No dogs, alcohol, or glass are allowed on the beach. The lifeguard towers are open from 10 am to 6 pm during the summer months. Facilities at the beach include handicapped access, a picnic area, numerous restrooms, outdoor showers, a telephone, concession stand daily (Easter through Thanksgiving), surfboard and boogie board rental, fire rings, playground equipment, and volleyball courts. A tennis court is available nearby in Cottonwood Creek at Moonlight Beach, a small nature reserve with many native plants.

Annual events

During midsummer, Moonlight Beach hosts

Switchfoot Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keyboards, ...

's "Bro-Am", a charity event which is a surf contest and a massive beach party hosted by the alternative rock band Switchfoot, and sponsored by Hurley. The event runs over two days (usually a Friday and Saturday) that are filled with music, charity, and surfing on this beach where Switchfoot's lead duo, the Foreman brothers, learned to surf. On the third Saturday of September each year is an event known as "Wavecrest", a major meet of woodies, which are vintage cars in which the rear portion of the bodywork is made of wood; these vehicles are a traditional part of West Coast

surfing culture Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion, and lifestyle surrounding the sport of surfing. The history of surfing began with the ancient Polynesians. That initial culture directly influenced modern surfing, which began to flourish an ...

. accessed 2016-9-24 Also during the fall, Moonlight Beach is the venue for th
Surfing Madonna 5K/10K & 10 Mile Beach Run/Walk
which is also a charity event that gives the proceeds back to the community for programs such as youth scholarships
free surf camps for special needs kids
and the wounded warrior project, as well as

marine mammal Marine mammals are aquatic mammals that rely on the ocean and other marine ecosystems for their existence. They include animals such as seals, whales, manatees, sea otters and polar bears. They are an informal group, unified only by their ...

rescue and recovery equipment. The entire course of the event is on the hard-packed sand, starting and ending in the Moonlight Beach cove. Roughly 8,000 people attend this event each year.

Notes

References

* Annual Report Cards. 17th Annual Beach Report Card for 2006 - 2007 & 16th Annual Beach Report Card for 2005 - 2006. www.healthebay.org (May 23, 2007 & May 24, 2006). Accessed April 24, 2008. * Beaches in Encinitas. Parks and Recreation. www.ci.encinitas.ca.us. 2005. Accessed April 30, 2008. * Hartley, Mac. Encinitas – History & Heritage. The Donning Company / Publishers, Virginia Beach VA. 1999. * Holzclaw, Kenneth & Welch Diane. Images of America - Encinitas. Arcadia Publishing, Charleston SC. 2006. * Irons, Destiny. www.encinitasmag.com (September 17, 2007). Moonlight Beach – The Changing Tide and Times. Accessed March 3, 2008. * Mellin, Maribeth & Onstott, Jane. Insiders Guide – San Diego – Fifth Edition. Morris Book Publishing, LLC. 2007. * Osborne Jr., John. The California Coast – A Traveler's Companion – Second Edition. The Countrymen Press, Woodstock VT. 2003. * “Moonlight Beach Surf Forecast and SURF REPORTS.” ''Surf Forecast Surf Report'', www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/Moonlight-Beach. *Puterbaugh, Parke & Bisbort, Alan. California Beaches – The Best Places to Swim, Play, Eat, and Stay on the Coast – Third Edition. Avalon Travel Publishing, Emeryville CA. 2003.

External links

official Moonlight State Beach website

Moonlight Beach - surf-report
* http://www.ci.encinitas.ca.us/CE/Government/CityD/ParksAndRecreation/Parks+and+Beaches/Beach+Information.htm Encinitas Parks: Moonlight Beach * http://www.moonlightsnack.com Moonlight Beach Concession Stand - Rentals, Food, Concierge Service {{Protected areas of California, SP Beaches of Southern California California State Beaches Parks in San Diego County, California Beaches of San Diego County, California