California road trip

[Hardrock65]

I'll be driving out to CA down PCH from SF to LA, I plan on stopping at lots of places such as Santa Cruz. I noticed on google earth the beach in Santa Cruz by the pier was pretty crowded. Has anyone done this beach? Can you CA locals suggest other beaches to hunt? What about Santa Monica pier beach?
HH thanks

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Santa cruz beach is detected a lot, by a lot of people. It's amongst the most touristy beaches on the Monterey. Go figure, it's got the amusement park right there. And the ring ratios are a bit higher than the rest of the beaches. Due to: 1) the touristy aspect, and 2) Because of the way the water circulates through Monterey bay, there's actually a few months of the years (the hotter summer months), where you can actually get in the water without a wetsuit

But you won't find any old coins on that beach. Unless some monster storm hits it (or if you found a "fluke"). Because in the mid 1960s the yacht harbor was built a bit south of there (Twin Lakes beach), and d/t the jetty there, sand got "backed up" at all the beaches north of there. Hence creating the much wider beach as we now know it. But still fun to hunt, because ring ratios can be good, if storms are hitting. I'm strictly a wet-sand-storm-erosion hunter, so I don't mess with the dry sand there. Thus can't comment much on the prospects of dry. No doubt worked to frazzle by the "regulars". At present there's been no surf action, thus I bet nothing going on at this time on the wet.

When you come past Monterey, drop me a PM if you want to hunt at one of these beaches at the south end of the bay.

 

[Hardrock65]

Thanks for the heads up. I may just do that.

 

[SeabeeRon]

What Tom said!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

re.: sad state of affairs for the wet sand: In a few short months, we shall see what this supposed godzilla el nino does for us. So don't throw in the towel just yet

BTW: a fluke just happened down on one of our beaches down this way, that was producing fast action coins (including some silver, wheaties, buffalos, etc....). So sometimes when I tell folks "the wet sand is no good right now", then sure enough, somewhere, somehow, someone's got some action going on. Doh !