Anyone who travels to San Clemente to surf will quickly learn from locals how badly the beaches have eroded over the years. A new report from the City of San Clemente, “Nature-Based Adaptation Project Feasibility Study,” focuses on that very problem, proposing solutions to ease erosion. A collateral benefit may include good news for surfers: the creation of new San Clemente surf breaks. The plan is aspirational, even as some local stakeholders oppose the strategy.

San Clemente began developing the Coastal Strategic Plan in recent years. The current iteration contains proposals that could replenish sand on the beaches and decrease erosion in the future. However, consensus is not unanimous. The proposed breakwaters may not be the best longterm solution, if they’re even planned for the most sensible locations.

The beaches are inherently important to the city – for shoreline preservation, recreation, and the economic benefits of tourism — so city leadership says it is dedicated to reversing erosion and protecting the coastline.

Specifically, the Feasibility Study states surfing is a priority:

Surfing is a very significant consideration for the citizens of the City and visitors. The surfing heritage is deeply rooted in the local culture and history. Figure 2-12 shows the surfing locations within the City as relayed by representatives of the surfing community during stakeholder outreach meetings in 2023 and 2024. Surfing may occur at other locations that are not labeled on the figure, but those may be less frequently ridden and therefore not considered as a daily surfing opportunity. Project sites should avoid surf resources unless intentionally designed to enhance surfing. North Beach surf quality is considered relatively poor so improvement with a project could be a good outcome. (Emphasis added.)

San Clemente plans breakwaters that will create new surf breaks, but…

The next phase of San Clemente’s coastal plan includes construction of three main sites. Two of the proposed fixes include barbell-shaped breakwaters built to run parallel to shore, one at North Beach and one at State Beach. The third location is also a parallel breakwater located at Capistrano Shores, but it will be submerged so creation of a surf break is not likely.

The report states that the North Beach location has higher potential for economic benefit than State Beach, due “the proximity of parking, restrooms, refreshments, ease of access, proximity to the train station, and overall beach attendance,” so the City is making it a top priority. Capistrano Shores is ranked second priority above State Beach. One of the stated reasons for creating a breakwater at Capistrano Shores is to protect the expensive real estate, which because it sets between the beach and the train tracks is particularly vulnerable to erosion, yet is important for generating tax revenue. (It is not immediately clear why the proposed breakwater at Capistrano Shores won’t be designed to create a surf break, since its south access point is adjacent to North Beach.)

As part of the Feasibility Study, San Clemente conducted a threat assessment of the beaches that are most at risk from erosion, found in Table 2-4 below. Three beaches received a “Critical” rating: Capistrano Shores, Mariposa Beach, and Cyprus Shore. Noteworthy, State Beaches received a “Stable” rating, but was chosen as a rehab site over Cyprus Shore to its immediate south.

The concept for the breakwaters, according to the Feasibility Study, is based on the natural ocean water patterns that cause sand to continually erode (especially without reefs or other barriers). Likewise, there is limited natural sand replenishment from riverbeds due to urban development. These breakwaters would help retain new fill-in sand (to be shipped in) by buffering incoming surf and providing a physical structure to barricade the sand.

The City has determined that parallel breakwaters are more effective for the proposed locations than breakwaters that would be constructed perpendicular to the shoreline. Likewise, the breakwaters’ parallel positioning would create new surf zones.

However, after earlier drafts of the Feasibility Study were released, the Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit based in San Clemente and dedicated to protecting beaches and oceans, voiced concerns about the breakwater strategy, arguing that “breakwaters do not restore the natural environment and present unacceptable risks to public resources including waves and nearby beaches” (see pp 35 of public comments posted on this page). Among other solutions, Surfrider proposed development of dunes, as well as moving the path of the railway away from the coast, so that the armored tracks don’t block the flow of sand and sediment from nearby bluffs and land to the beaches. The organization argues those measures would be a proper long-term fix that would address the core of the erosion problems.

Needless to say, much is at stake for local surfers. Community input is urgently needed.

The Feasibility Study is currently open to public comment, so take this opportunity to read and provide feedback. The report – written in language relatively easy to understand – is open for public comment through July 13, 2025 and located at www.san-clemente.org/sand. 

We also encourage residents to read public comments submitted so far, posted at www.san-clemente.org/departments-services/planning-services/long-range-planning/local-coastal-program.

You may submit public comments at [email protected] or via this San Clemente form.

This article excerpts information from the Feasibility Study that’s most relevant to surfers, starting with details about the proposed concepts, then provides historical background related to the erosion problems. We encourage all San Clemente residents to read the full report as it has ramifications for surfers and non-surfers alike.

San Clemente plan to fight beach erosion

If approved, the next iteration of the coastal plan, “Phase 1,” will undertake rehabilitation of three beaches in San Clemente that have been determined to be the most threatened beaches due to erosion. The report describes the three “concepts”:

“Capistrano Shores is the proposed site for a submerged breakwater with beach nourishment, North Beach is proposed for a multi-purpose breakwater with beach nourishment, and State Beach is also proposed for a multipurpose breakwater with beach nourishment. The multi-purpose emergent breakwater concepts are conceived to double as surfing amenities.” (Emphasis added.)

According to the report, “Phase 2 would consist of establishing living shorelines (vegetated dunes) behind the beach after beaches widen sufficiently to sustain dunes as a sand reservoir.” That phase is contingent on the success of the first phase.

How the North Beach breakwater and surf break are designed

North Beach is ranked the first priority as part of this restoration project based on two main reasons, the extent of the erosion and benefits expected from the improvements. Details are excerpted here from the Feasibility Study about that breakwater concept which would likewise create a new surf break.

This concept is an emergent rocky reef, shore parallel breakwater situated between the north end of the North Beach Reach and the south end of the Capistrano Shores Manufactured Home community (Capistrano Shores community).

It would be constructed of armor stone material and have a “barbell” shape design and would be located approximately 900 feet offshore and in water depth of 15 feet. The submerged, flared sides of the structure would gently slope down around the seaward and side edges to enhance surfing opportunities, and the central/main segment would have steeper slopes on both the shoreward and seaward sides of the structure to dissipate wave energy. The crest along the top of the reef/breakwater would be emergent at all times at an approximate design crest height of +10 feet relative to North American Vertical Datum 1988 (NAVD88). The structure would be positioned parallel to the shoreline and just offshore of the coast. It would be designed to form a salient, or a bulge in the beach in its lee, caused by slowing of longshore sediment transport and reduction of incident wave energy. It would create both recreational and habitat opportunities and locally protect the North Beach and Capistrano Shores areas.

The footprint of the “barbell” shaped structure would be approximately 1,300 feet long, 350 feet wide in the center along the midpoint, and 700 feet wide at the ends. … A crest approximately 1,000 feet long and 130 feet wide would be emergent (i.e., visible) at all times. The crest planform would be angled (“doglegged”) at about 45 degree towards shore for the last 200 feet of each end.

This implies that under current sea level conditions, at the lowest spring tides about 11-12 feet of the breakwater crest would be exposed and at the highest spring tides approximately 2-3 feet of the breakwater crest would be exposed. The rational [sic] and benefit for having the structure emergent/visible is to ensure it reduces the energy of the biggest storm/winter waves and to ensure that these extreme events to do overtop the structure so as to disrupt and dissipate the wave energy so that it does not cause erosion of the beach. In addition, having a structure that is visible at all times will also have a secondary benefit of not creating a hazard to mariners. Local examples of offshore rocky structures in the City that are emergent occur in the north ends and south ends of the City.

A prefill of sand would be placed on the beach during construction equivalent to the volume of sand that could be retained by the structure. This prefill is shown as item number “2” in Figure 3-1. The intent and goal of pre-filling the beach with sand is to mimic the anticipated salient that would eventually form leeward of the structure. Sand pre-filling of the salient is done to prevent littoral drift from accumulating in the deposit causing deprivation to the downcoast or upcoast beach.

The prefill would be new sand added to the littoral cell and would be shaped to form a beach that is approximately 430 feet wide at its widest point directly in the lee of or eastward of the breakwater, eventually tapering down to meet the existing pre-project shoreline position moving farther away from its protective beneficial sand retention shadow. This would likely encompass an area that is between approximately 350,000 and 575,000 square feet in size (8 to 13 acres [ac]), thus requiring between 500,000 to 600,000 cubic yards of sandy material as pre-fill. Consideration of an overfill factor is standard coastal engineering practice and is assumed in all beach sand replenishment projects.

How a breakwater and surf break at North Beach would help end erosion

The city has described multiple reasons for the North Beach concept, worth sharing in full. The Feasibility Study emphasizes ease of access as a benefit.

Locating this structure offshore at North Beach has the potential to provide significant additional recreational and socioeconomic benefits to the City. There are 15 public access points in the City and North Beach has one of only four of the 15 City-owned shoreline beach access points that also provides adjacent public parking facilities. The other access points that also provide parking spots are at Linda Lane, the Municipal Pier, and at T-Street.

The City’s primary OCTA [Orange County Transportation Authority]/Metrolink train stop is located at North Beach, offering public transit options for visitors. The secondary train stop is located at the City’s Municipal Pier.

The beach at North Beach is currently heavily undermined and actively eroding according to the ongoing shoreline monitoring program results (Coastal Frontiers Corporation 2024). The current beach is composed of both sand and cobble, making it a less desirable location for users compared to other beaches. The existing public safety building and public restrooms on the beach are compromised due to undermining and currently closed as a result. In Spring 2025, the City was forced to remove portions of the building’s perimeter decking and fence which were damaged during a storm event. The City is currently revitalizing North Beach and the surrounding Los Molinos District to bring more tourism, commercial businesses, hotels, restaurants, and other attractions to this historic district. Concurrently improving the beach and installing the proposed offshore structure would help protect and enhance the shoreline, promote recreation, and protect infrastructure from coastal hazards while also improving habitat. A pilot project installed in this location would serve to supplement both the community enhancement and coastal resiliency efforts underway by the City.

How the State Beach breakwater and surf break are designed

State Beach (next to Cyprus Shore) is also a proposed site for a multi-purpose breakwater fixture which would create a new surf break. In the Feasibility Study, it is ranked third priority behind Capistrano Shores, but we’re bumping it ahead because it is very similar to the concept proposed for North Beach, with similar design and benefits.

The shore-parallel, hybrid breakwater/reef would be located at the southern end of the San Clemente State Beach shoreline. The footprint of the “barbell” shaped structure would be approximately 1,300 feet long, 350 feet wide in the center along the mid-point, and 700 feet wide at ends. It would be located approximately 600 feet offshore in order to form a salient, or a bulge in the beach. The majority of the structure would be in a depth of water of between 10-20 feet.

How a breakwater and surf break at State Beach would end erosion

In summary, the benefits and rationale offered by the breakwater structure at State Beach are similar to many at North Beach. As provided in the Feasibility Study, the benefits include:

• The breakwater/reef will significantly reduce wave energy and resultant erosion impacting the shore at the south end of San Clemente State Beach. It may also benefit the beach adjacent to the southern residential communities which is currently almost completely eroded above the mean high tide line.

• Slowing longshore sediment transport by the structure will allow for the sand accumulation and retention along the shoreline in its lee and immediately up- and downcoast of the structure.

• The prefill of sand behind the structure will establish a revitalized beach for recreation and habitat at the south end of the State beach.

• The sand will offer further protection of the shoreline and coastal infrastructure by buffering wave energy.

• The reef will enhance surf resources in an area where the surfing potential is relatively low. It will be designed to establish high-quality surf breaking both left and right with varying wave types that cater to different skill levels of surfing. (Emphasis added.)

• A low wave energy, shallow, sandy wading/swimming zone will be established leeward of the breakwater for beachgoers.

• The surf resources, low energy wading zone, and improved wide, sandy beach will create a draw for tourism and visitation to the beach, which will benefit State Parks as well as the City.

• The sandy beach may help establish a new habitat and foraging area for shorebirds and other species.

• Over time, if the beach becomes wide enough, the back of the beach may be able to be used as a living shoreline with plantings to form a dune-type ecosystem in later phases of the project.

• The rocky reef structure will establish a complex, hard-bottom subtidal and intertidal habitat that will attract a much higher biodiversity and species richness if placed in an area where the habitat quality is relatively low.

• Installing a sand retention feature at the south end of the City could restore lateral coastal access along the beach allowing people to once again walk south to Trestles and San Onofre State Beach.

Surf break is not planned for Capistrano Shores

Capistrano Shores is ranked second behind North Beach in the Feasibility Study due to the urgency of the need to protect the homes located between the beach and the train tracks. However, the current plan would not build a breakwater that will necessarily create a new surf zone, set aside the possibility for “smaller wave surfing.”

The Feasibility Study states that the beach at Capistrano Shores has been identified as a high priority due to the imminent threat of continued shoreline erosion and property damage to these existing structures. Specifically, the Study says, “Real estate values in this part of the City are among the highest and the City counts significantly on property taxes for its general operating budget to maintain Citywide services.”

The design for Capistrano Shores would differ from the other two potential sites. The breakwater feature would not have the same “barbell” design, nor would it emerge above the surface. Therefore, it’s not designed to create a new surf break. Excerpt from the City’s Feasibility Study:

Since there are no known quality surfing resources fronting the Capistrano Shores community, the installation of the breakwater would not result in any diminished surfing opportunity as a result of the structure itself. The formation of the salient and sand accumulation leeward of the breakwater should establish a shallower bottom and wading/swimming area with reduced wave energy behind the structure. However, since the breakwater is designed as a submerged structure, some amount of wave energy will reach the shoreline creating conditions for smaller wave surfing.

Fronting the Capistrano Shores community, there is effectively no dry sand beach above the mean high tide line and the homes within this beachfront community are under increasing threat from coastal erosion and flooding. Establishing a sand retention feature and prefilling the beach could greatly benefit this part of the City by offering protection from erosion with a wider sandy beach. Widening this portion of the beach would be a public benefit due to proximity to available public parking and access and would also restore lateral local and regional coastal access from the south end of the City into Dana Point providing benefit to upcoast beaches in Dana Point and the County/State Parks.

The next step of the coastal restoration plan will be to secure funding to conduct additional design and modeling studies to improve the design so it reduces cost and optimizes function. According to the Feasibility Study, the next recommended steps are “design and modeling, followed by environmental review, permitting, final engineering for construction and construction. Implementation of the project may require up to 5 years depending on funding.”

Again, we encourage locals to read the full report. Link to the report at www.san-clemente.org/sand.

Likewise, we encourage residents to read public comments submitted so far at www.san-clemente.org/departments-services/planning-services/long-range-planning/local-coastal-program.

Submit written comments to [email protected] or use this form on San Clemente’s web site.

The remainder of this article focuses on the history of erosion in San Clemente. It’s important to understand what happened to create the erosion problem and what’s been attempted to resolve the problem in order to make better-informed decisions in the future.

History of erosion at San Clemente Beaches

The Feasibility Study contains an abundance of data and information about the erosion of San Clemente beaches over the past decades. It documents the loss of sand, as well as the rate of the decrease at each of the city’s beaches, from Capistrano Shores down to Cyprus Beach. Further, the report provides the cause of the erosion and what is likely to stop it.

According to the following table, Cyprus Shore lost an average of 6.2-feet per year, the most of any beach tracked in the area.

Why San Clemente beaches have eroded over time

Erosion is a natural occurrence as water moves sand with the current over time. Historically, that sand has been replaced naturally from other sources on land, deposited by river flow into the ocean, as described in the Feasibility Study below. Unfortunately, urban development and water use inland have cut off those sources, which explains at least in part why the sand is not currently being replenished through natural cycles. Construction of the Dana Point Harbor was another primary reason for that sand depletion.

The primary source of sediment to the beaches of the City has been from San Juan Creek located to the north. Due to urbanization and upstream water supply management actions, this Creek delivers almost no sand to the beach. Other historic sources of sand were sand moving around Dana Point and moving south toward the City, but that source is non-existent with the intercepting Harbor breakwater structure in place. Construction of Dana Point Harbor yielded sand to the coast as a byproduct, but that source was limited and no longer provides benefits. With historic sources of sand no longer available to the coast, beach erosion has continued downcoast of the Harbor and extends to the San Mateo Creek mouth. A critical erosion hot spot analysis was conducted as an early task of this project and results are summarized within Section 2 this study, showing several City beaches in the critically eroded condition.

The City of San Clemente provides photographic evidence of the beach erosion in their Feasibility Study, including the early photos of Cyprus Shore and North Beach.

Cyprus Shore lost more sand than other San Clemente beaches

The Feasibility Study conducted for the City of San Clemente includes charts that demonstrate the amount of sand loss and the risks associated at each beach. Of course, each location has its own unique considerations, whether sand loss is a risk to private homes or to the municipal train tracks. Here, the Feasibility Study describes the risks at Cyprus Shore, which is located at the southern end of San Clemente, south of State Beach.

The loss of beach has been especially pronounced in the vicinity of the Cyprus Shore community beach over the past five years. Presently, there is no dry sandy beach fronting the community through to the southern border of the City. The OCTA has initiated emergency work to stabilize the landslide, secure the railway tracks to the bedrock at the base of the cliff, and continues to fortify its revetment. The OCTA plans to conduct nourishment and reworking of the rock slope protection in the relatively near future but those plans are not yet completely defined or approved.

As depicted in these photographs, the train tracks are threatened by waves crashing into the riprap.

Taken six years earlier, this photograph depicts a much wider beach so the train is not as vulnerable to the incoming surf. While the photos may have been taken at different tides, ample dry sand is visible in 2014, enough to sustain volleyball courts that no longer exist at this location.

Lessons learned: sand replenishment alone hasn’t stopped erosion

In recent years, San Clemente has replaced sand in the busiest section of the beach near the San Clemente Pier. Lessons have been learned through that restoration: the sand will continue to shift without some form of barrier to help stabilize it.

The Feasibility Study fully explains what the City attempted and what challenges they faced conducting sand replenishment near the pier. The first beach fill of this restoration project began in December 2023.

Approximately 200,000 cubic yards of sandy beach material was to be placed via dredge and pipeline along the shore from Linda Lane to Boca Del Canon restrooms. The material was sourced from an offshore borrow site between Oceanside Harbor and the Santa Margarita River mouth. A hopper dredge was used to dredge the borrow site and transport the material to the City. Material was then pumped from the dredge into a containment basin on the upper dry beach as a slurry of water and sand. Bulldozers and front-end loaders located on the beach could then rework/spread the sand while water drained from the slurry to shape the sandy material into the designed nourishment template.

Unfortunately, the effort was brought to a halt after only approximately 114,000 cubic yards of material was placed due to poor quality of dredged sediment (City of San Clemente 2024). The material was primarily composed of cobbles, shell hash, and dark silty sediment that was not suitable for beach placement (compared to the golden sandy sized material that was expected). Due to these complications, the borrow site was moved to an area off of Surfside Colony/Sunset Beach that has previously been used for similar beach nourishment projects with success. The remaining 86,000 cubic yards of the material was successfully dredged from this borrow site and the nourishment was completed with a total placement of 200,000 cubic yards of sand.

This is the first “stage” of a 50-year nourishment project with reoccurring nourishment (stages) occurring every 6 years. The overall goal is to create a 50-foot-wide beach at a 17-foot elevation along the City beach from Linda Lane restrooms to the Boca Del Canon restrooms from every nourishment and place 2.51 million cubic yards of material over the 50-year period.

Next steps: barriers may be installed to stabilize the sand in San Clemente

Sand replenishment requires a sizable investment in the form of material (sand), equipment, labor, and time. The City has determined that physical barriers are needed to protect that sand as best as possible. The Feasibility Study explains.

Aside from the lack of sediment in the littoral system and along local beaches, the City shoreline does not contain physical features that act to effectively retain sand within the nearshore system other than T-Street Reef and the Municipal Pier which functions somewhat like a semi-permeable groin.

… without sand retention features the beach fill material is subject to dispersing up- or downcoast and away from the City shoreline.

Summary: the plan to restore beaches with San Clemente surf breaks

Beach erosion in San Clemente is an ongoing problem as housing and urban development grows and the surrounding environment evolves. Waterways that previously had carried sand and sediment to the shoreline have been cut off or otherwise drained. Nonetheless, local leadership is taking coastal restoration seriously for three primary reasons: beaches are important to preserve the shoreline, to create local recreation, and to provide economic benefits through tourism. As such, they’ve embarked a multi-year project to study the area coastline, explore solutions, and implement new fixes. A collateral benefit may create new San Clemente surf breaks.

Simply replenishing sand on the beaches is insufficient because the surf and ocean current will wash away or move the sand over time. Local leadership has determined that structures such as breakwaters are needed to buffer the incoming waves and create a barrier to hold the sand in place. Recent studies have demonstrated why sand replenishment alone isn’t sufficient. Likewise, San Clemente leadership has also prioritized surfing, so at least some of the proposed solutions (at North Beach and State Beach) would serve a dual purpose, protecting the beaches while creating new surf breaks.

The recent draft report is open to public comment until July 13. Leadership will then embark on implementing Phase 1, which is creation of the three concepts (at North Beach, Capistrano Beach, and State Beach). Once those have successfully widened the beaches, then Phase 2 would begin, which is to bolster the beaches with dunes that would support living shorelines and establish a sand reservoir.

Find the report at www.san-clemente.org/sand.

Monitor public comment (past and future) from this page: https://www.san-clemente.org/departments-services/planning-services/long-range-planning/local-coastal-program.

Submit public comments at [email protected] or via San Clemente’s web page.

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