Latest News

Bikini Competition At Muscle Beach



From Santa Monica Close Up:

"Master Bikini over 35 compete at the Muscle Beach Bodybuilding Championships in Venice on Monday, May 30, 2022."

Santa Monica Close Up is a photo blog by Santa Monica based Photojournalist/Press photographer Fabian Lewkowicz. Fabian is the former staff photographer for the Santa Monica Daily Observer Press, Santa Monica Mirror, Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Corsair.

Support Santa Monica Closeup/Fabian Lewkowicz with Venmo or PayPal to help earn money to make these videos:

https://venmo.com/u/santamonicacloseup

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/fabianlewkowicz

Memorial Weekend Surf Forcast



Sunday, May 29th: 2-3′ at average spots, 3-4’+ summer focal points.
Old SSW swell drops to smaller leftovers as fresh long-period SW swell starts to fill in. Better spots are in knee-waist high waves. NW windswell rebounds through the day and should provide enough juice to cross up some of the smaller Southern Hemi lines. Moderate westerly wind develops for the afternoon.

Memorial Day (Monday), May 30th: Widespread 3-4′ with 5-6’+ sets at summer focal points.
Fun, long-period SW swell builds further Monday and peaks into Tuesday. Note that there will be a decent amount of NW swell mix in the water as well so a lot of spots in play over the holiday. Expect waist-chest high waves through most, while good spots easily hit shoulder-head high. Summer focal points will go slightly overhead. Note that the front end of this swell will be somewhat shadowed and lully due to the French Polynesian shadow.

Tuesday, May 31st: More 3-4′ waves at most, 5-6′ sets at summer standouts.
Similar to previous day as long-period SW swell tops out, while NW swell mix begins to fade. There should still be a few good corners at the beachbreaks but as that NW swell drops, summer points/reefs will look best. Continued waist-chest high surf with good spots shoulder-head high. Again, summer focal points push overhead on sets.

Originally published on Surfline

RVCA Memorial Day Sale



Check out RVCA's Memorial Day Sale going on all weekend long. Extra 40% off Sale on all Sale Items. ⁠

RVCA Men's Trunks

Drunk Tries To Destroy Hinano's



Video by Green Cloud Art Org

Surfing Off A ROCK In Malibu



From Brad Jacobson:

"Travis Logie got a little creative when he was faced with another day of small surf. Why not try to catch a wave off of that rock? Travis and I hit Malibu in hopes of scoring some fun waves. When we first got there it didn't look good, so we went with plan B.

He caught a wave then joined Shane Borland, Scott Carpenter, Allen Sarlo and others for a normal surf. Ends up the waves weren't as and as we thought.

Thanks for watching. I'm Brad Jacobson and I'll see ya on the sand."

Jacks Surfboards Memorial Day Weekend Sale



Check out Jacks Surfboards Memorial Day Weekend Sale going on all weekend long. 20% OFF storewide and 20% OFF Sitewide using the code MEMORIAL2022.⁠ ⁠

(This sale excluded Surfboards, bodyboards, wetsuits, booties, bikes, rainbow, gopro, yeti, theragun, gift cards, already discounted items.)


Inshore Holes & Rip Currents - Beach Drowning Prevention



The leading causes of Ocean Rescues are Inshore Holes & Rip Currents. Curious about how to escape these near shore hazards and avoid being swept away by Rip Currents? Watch the video for some great tips!

Elevated Surf Alert



National Wesather Service says strong rip currents are likely along most beach areas this holiday weekend due to building surf.

Fire At Venice Library



A fire broke at at the Venice Library / Homeless Encampment / Drug Mall last night.

This just a couple days right after Homeless People Attacked Fire Fighters In Venice for putting out their little encampment fires, and one of them shouted out "yall want to see a fire?!"



LA Sherif Announces Beach Patrol Mission



On Saturday, May 28th, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) will officially kick off the LASD Beach Patrol Mission, which will run from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The beach patrol will consist of members from the Sheriff’s Response Team and the Mounted Enforcement Detail.

The team will perform high visibility patrol to assist LASD beach partners with extra patrol from Playa del Rey to Malibu. The LASD Homeless Outreach and Mental Evaluation Teams will be available and part of the deployment throughout the summer.

“Summer is upon us and the last couple of years have been challenging for everyone. I want to remind the community that we’re doing our best, we’re stretching our resources so that people feel safe wherever they are, including the beach areas of Los Angeles County. This summer, the LASD Beach Patrol Mission will be visible throughout our beaches so that visitors and the community have a great time at the beach,” stated Sheriff Villanueva.

The Sheriff’s Department wants all residents and visitors to our LA County beaches to have a safe, and enjoyable summer. Please visit our social media pages for additional information.

Drunk Guy Punks LAPD In Venice



Video by Green Cloud Art Org

"Drunk guy lays on LAPD car, tells cops off & gives them the finger!"

Police Clean-up Homeless Encampment Under Santa Monica Pier



From Santa Monica Close Up:

"Santa Monica Police Officers, Code Enforcement Officers, and Beach Maintenance Personel from the Safety Task Force clean-up a homeless encampment beneath the Santa Monica Pier on Sunday, May 22, 2022. "

Santa Monica Close Up is a photo blog by Santa Monica based Photojournalist/Press photographer Fabian Lewkowicz. Fabian is the former staff photographer for the Santa Monica Daily Observer Press, Santa Monica Mirror, Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Corsair.

Support Santa Monica Closeup/Fabian Lewkowicz with Venmo or PayPal to help earn money to make these videos:

https://venmo.com/u/santamonicacloseup

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/fabianlewkowicz

Beck Adler & Noah Hill - Every Dog Has Its Day



Beck Adler and Noah Hill grew up surfing Venice Beach, CA. It was there, that they mastered the art of 1-2' onshore beach breaks. After one last surf at the local pier, with a decent forecast, and high hopes, they hit the road in search of better waves. And well, lets just say... Every Dog Has Its Day.

Venice Pride Festival



LA’s beloved grassroots LGBTQ+ celebration grows to two days and moves to a brand new beachside location: Venice Beach Recreation Center on Saturday and Sunday, June 4-5, 2022. Celebrate PRIDE by the beach with a diverse array of stage performances produced by Queer Moment, DJs, community booths, art installations, LGBTQ+ vendors, food trucks and everyone’s favorite queer dance party, Gaywatch (21+ only). Get your tickets now!

A beacon of diversity and acceptance, the artwork beams seven rays of laser light representing the color spectrum of a natural rainbow. The presentation is poetic, magical and powerful.



For more info and to buy tickets, Click Here.

Venice Pride Global Rainbow Laser Show



Venice Pride presents Artist Yvette Mattern’s Global Rainbow installation in association with Bacardi nightly from June 3 to 5 across the California Coast.

A beacon of diversity and acceptance, the artwork beams seven rays of laser light representing the color spectrum of a natural rainbow. The presentation is poetic, magical and powerful.

For more info, Click Here.

Fight And Stabbing At Venice Library



From The Venice Wasteland:

At 9pm in Venice Centennial Park a young homeless man was slashed. It’s the same man who was kicked & beaten on May 15th. Thankfully he was okay. But he’s back in the park with his attackers.

Homeless People Attack Fire Fighters In Venice

Surf Chats with Topanga Lou - Blake



Surf Chats with Topanga Lou Episode 2 with Blake

This entire episode is for beginner surfers.

The Transformation Of Venice's Centennial Park Into A Huge Homeless Encampment



Venice Beach, video by Venice Wasteland

In 5 months Centennial Park in Venice California has been transformed into a small park next to a library into a chaotic and terrifying homeless encampment filled with violence, drugs, and despair. Neighbors have been begging for help since the first tent arrived, but no one has intervened, allowing criminals and the worst of humanity to move in to terrorize the surrounding neighborhood.

BOTOX Interactive Art Installation at Santa Monica Pier



From Santa Monica Close Up:

"To celebrate 20 years since first being FDA approved, BOTOX® Cosmetic unveiled its first-ever interactive Art Installation at the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday, May 21, 2022. Guests are immersed in a highly visual, interactive experience tying into the brand’s larger mission of creating an open dialogue. Attendees are eligible for a special BOTOX® Cosmetic offer powered by AllÄ“®, Allergan Aesthetics’ loyalty platform. The art installation runs through Sunday, May 22."

Santa Monica Close Up is a photo blog by Santa Monica based Photojournalist/Press photographer Fabian Lewkowicz. Fabian is the former staff photographer for the Santa Monica Daily Observer Press, Santa Monica Mirror, Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Corsair.

Support Santa Monica Closeup/Fabian Lewkowicz with Venmo or PayPal to help earn money to make these videos:

https://venmo.com/u/santamonicacloseup

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/fabianlewkowicz

Bioluminescence Spotted Last Night

Taken around ~2am last night from Chautauqua/Channel road area

Hulu National Streaming Day

Why We Go - Mazel



Everyday people doing extraordinary things outdoors. That’s the inspiration behind the Hydro Flask “Why We Go” series. These films from Hydro Flask showcase unique individuals chasing adventures that allow them to be their best selves.

Meet Mazel, an eight-year old skateboarder who knows the joy of landing new tricks.

Girls Fighting Guys At Venice Pier

A group of "live streamers" (Youtubers) got into a fight with some girls at the Venice Pier on Tuesday afternoon.

As it appears from the videos going somewhat viral, a group of dumb ass attention craving "streamers" were filming and harassing a group of girls next to the Venice Pier. They are doingit for their live stream. Their videos show them being complete douchebags (being themselves, basically).

The bikini-clad girls try telling them to stop filming them, and that they are 16 years old. The douchebags continue being themselves, and it leads to a physical fight. One of the douchetubers even dropkicks one of the girls.

One beach-goer comes over and punks one of the douchetubers for hitting a girl. The crybaby then starts crying for the cops.

During the brawl, the asshole Youtubers apparently call the police, and then when the police arrive and don't arrest the girlss, they try to irritate the officers for more footage for their Youtube live stream.

And after the police leave, these assholetubers then get into another argument with another person, whom they had triggered easrlier by claiming they took his chain. The man repeatedly asks them to stop filming him, while he asked them about his missing chain, to which they don't. So the guy punches one of them dropping him to the curb, while the other runs off like a coward.

Several of the videos are posted below (due to some being age restricted, they have to be viewed on Youtube) :













More footage of this:











8 Months At Venice Centennial Park



Venice Beach, filmed by Cop Watch Venice

How did Venice's smallest park become it's largest encampment? 8 months at Venice Centennial Park.

"This is a video compilation of the past 8 months at Venice centennial park AKA Venice library park. I hadn't planned on making a video about it, but had lots of footage, so this is random on different dates labeled inorder laying out a timeline of how Venice's smallest park, became it's largest homeless encampment.

The Venice of America Centennial Park was built in 1993 and has had homeless people randomly sleeping there ever since. I even slept there as a kid many times. But it's never been like this.

The city and LAPD keeps going against the supreme court orders and chooses to chase homeless people around, criminalizing their existence, rather than help anyone, so the places for people to go are becoming harder to find. The Venice centennial park is one of the few places not entirely fenced in by the city. Mike Bonin has fenced in and closed off nearly every area an encampment was, and he's spent $650,000 on private security patrolling overnight this year alone, keeping people out of other areas. That doesn't include the 2 am sanitation and LAPD clean ups where they don't clean anything.

According to the city, the park is now the site of the next "encampments to homes program" where the city supposedly takes entire encampments into a hotel, then gets them permanent housing. Problem is, most of these people have already been through the program and we're kicked out with no permanent solution. This is just another part of the city's revolving door homelessness response, where if they pretend they can't fix it, then they can rely on voters to get fed up and say chase everyone off or leave them to die instead of spending the billions in Homelessness funding on what it's actually intended for. Real question is, where's all that money?"


Cop Watch Venice follows LAPD pacific division on world famous Venice Beach, showing a point-of-view style cop watch and update on Venice's current conditions. We make edited shorts, full scenes and are working on a documentary about homelessness and city failures.

Donate to Cop Watch Venice via Cop Watch Venice Paypal

Venice Summer Fest



150+ Local Brands, LA's best food trucks, 20 performing artists all at Venice Blvd's biggest street festival​.

The Venice Summer Fest Returns for the 4th time to the Mar Vista Arts District on June 25th, 2022, from 12pm to 8pm. Celebrating Southern California Culture!

Music, drinks, games and dancing fill the street with positive vibes creating the ultimate destination for your local weekend adventure!

The festival will take place on Venice Blvd. in the street, In-between Grand View & Centinela.

For more info, Click Here.

RV Fire Aftermath & Venice Beach Update



Venice Beach, 5/16/22, filmed by Cop Watch Venice

"Venice beach Homelessness and neighborhood update. There was another RV fire on Rose and Lincoln, the library park is growing and getting a lot of police attention lately, meanwhile the beach is looking as bad as ever while the city keeps taking funding to "clean"."

Cop Watch Venice follows LAPD pacific division on world famous Venice Beach, showing a point-of-view style cop watch and update on Venice's current conditions. We make edited shorts, full scenes and are working on a documentary about homelessness and city failures.

Donate to Cop Watch Venice via Cop Watch Venice Paypal

Car Jacking In Santa Monica



From Santa Monica Close Up:

"Santa Monica Police set up a perimeter Between Rose Avenue and Marine Street in Venice on Sunday, May 14, 2022. At 8:30 am SMPD Officers responded to area of 4th and Marine to investigate an attempted car-jacking. The suspect, a Black male, with a tattoo on his neck and wearing all black clothing used physical force (no weapon) in his attempt to take the victim’s car, before he fled on foot. SMPD officers quickly arrived on scene and set up a perimeter. Search teams comprised of SMPD Officers, K9s, UAS (Drone) team, and an LAPD airship searched the area. They concluded their search at about 11:45 AM. The outstanding suspect was not located."

Santa Monica Close Up is a photo blog by Santa Monica based Photojournalist/Press photographer Fabian Lewkowicz. Fabian is the former staff photographer for the Santa Monica Daily Observer Press, Santa Monica Mirror, Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Corsair.

Support Santa Monica Closeup/Fabian Lewkowicz with Venmo or PayPal to help earn money to make these videos:

https://venmo.com/u/santamonicacloseup

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/fabianlewkowicz

UScension Volleyball Event



UScension Volleyball Event benefiting the Veterans Housing Crisis at the Pier 360 Festival

Come be part of a HUGE Santa Monica event! Join thousands of beach and sea athletes at the PIER 360 Festival while supporting our efforts in the Veteran's Housing Crisis.

Play Volleyball, Dance and Meet High VIBE people that are making an impact in the world!

BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT at the PIER 360 Festival includes a Yoga Warm-Up followed by a Coed Beach Volleyball Tournament, or choose the Volleyball CLINIC & FUN Games for those new to the sport and a fiery DJ lineup that'll have you moving and grooving all day & taking you into a special sunset DJ set before you depart!

Date and time
Sun, Jun 26, 2022, 8:30 AM PDTT

Location
Santa Monica Pier
200 Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica, CA 90401

For more info and to register, Click Here

Heal the Bay x Santa Monica Beach Dune Cleanup



Come join Heal the Bay and the City of Santa Monica on Saturday, June 4 to learn about and clean up the Santa Monica beach dunes!

The City of Santa Monica is sponsoring a beach cleanup located at the Annenberg Community Beach House on Saturday June 4, 2022. The event will feature an organized cleanup event from Heal the Bay and a talk/tour of the Santa Monica Beach Dune Restoration Project from The Bay Foundation. Anyone is welcome to come show support for the beach dunes and participate in the beach cleanup for a chance to win some awesome prizes!

Date and time
Sat, June 4, 2022
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM PDT

Location
Annenberg Community Beach House
415 Pacific Coast Highway
Santa Monica, CA 90402

For more info and to register, Click Here

First Annual: Venice Classic



Come make history with us at the First Annual: Venice Classic, the first dedicated car show to ever be held at the world famous Venice Boardwalk

Come join The DogTown Devils Car Club on August 27th for an event unlike any other in the Venice Boardwalks 100 year history as we celebrate Surf, Sounds and Southern California's Car Culture.

All Classics, Kustoms, Lowriders, Street Rods, Rat Rods, Pre-80's Trucks and Pre-80's Muscle Cars, WELCOME!

This family event will feature Vendors, Food Vendors, a Beer Garden, DJ, Giveaways and an Awards Ceremony presented by The DogTown Devils Car Club and the City of Venice.

The The DogTown Devils Car Club,

For more info and to register you vehicle, Click Here.

Nick Gabaldón Day 2022



Nick Gabaldón Day will take place on Saturday, June 18, 2022 from 9AM – 4:30PM.

Nick Gabaldón (1927-1951) was a pioneering surfer of African American and Mexican American descent. He was the first documented surfer of color in the Santa Monica Bay. Gabaldón’s passion, athleticism, discipline, love, and respect for the ocean live on as the quintessential qualities of the California surfer.

In 2013, with the help of African American historian Alison Rose Jefferson, Heal the Bay joined forces with the Black Surfers Collective to amplify and expand their prior Nick Gabaldón efforts. Nick Gabaldón Day, in its current form, is now in its 10th year and will be held on June 18, 2022. This innovative celebration provides an amazing opportunity for broadening outreach, action, and education to connect Angelenos with their cultural, historical, and natural heritage.

RSVP to the events by signing up at Nick Gabaldon Day Registration.

The Black Surfers Collective, Heal the Bay, Surf Bus Foundation, Color the Water and the Santa Monica Conservancy, partner on the Nick Gabaldón Day programming to reach out to families in resourced challenged communities to inspire, engage and empower them through meaningful educational programming. We are helping build personal experiences with cultural, historical and nature heritage and civic engagement that are the foundation of stewardship, and the development of the next generation of civic, and heritage conservation and environmental leaders.

Heal the Bay Aquarium under the Santa Monica Pier will be free for all visitors in honor of Nick on Saturday, June 18 thanks to a grant from Northrop Grumman. A celebrity guest reader will pop in for story time and special art activities will be offered, as well as screenings of documentaries exploring issues of race, coastal access, and following your passion against all odds.

For more info and the schedule of events, visit Nick Gabaldon Day 2022. ,

Heal the Bay's Bring Back the Beach Gala



Following a two-year pause due to the pandemic, Heal the Bay's Bring Back the Beach Gala is back.

Takes place at the Jonathan Club on the Beach in Santa Monica on June 2, 2022.

For more info and tickets, Click Here.

Streets Of Venice Beach Closed On Sunday



The streets in Venice will be temporarily closed Sunday morning, 5/15/22, for the Herbalife Triathlon





Herbalife

Meth Head Arrested In Santa Monica Water Fountain



From Santa Monica Close Up:

"Santa Monica Police Officers arrest a man in a fountain at Santa Monica City Hall on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, 11377(A)HS"

Santa Monica Close Up is a photo blog by Santa Monica based Photojournalist/Press photographer Fabian Lewkowicz. Fabian is the former staff photographer for the Santa Monica Daily Observer Press, Santa Monica Mirror, Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Corsair.

Support Santa Monica Closeup/Fabian Lewkowicz with Venmo or PayPal to help earn money to make these videos:

https://venmo.com/u/santamonicacloseup

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/fabianlewkowicz

RV Fire In Venice



Here's a photo of a RV on fire at Rose and Lincoln in Venice. Photo by @VeniceIntel.

Santa Monica Pier Locals Night



Don't miss out on the last Local's Night of the season, on the Santa Monica Pier on May 19 from 3-10PM! From youth activities, live music, art exhibits, and more, there is truly something for everyone!


For more info and a map of the Pier CLICK HERE

Santa Monica Cardboard Yacht Regatta



Kick off the summer with the Annenberg Community Beach House. Be a part of the 10th Annual Cardboard Yacht Regatta!

On Saturday, June 18, from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., two-person teams of all ages will test their ingenuity in racing homemade yachts made of corrugated cardboard and duct tape across the Annenberg Community Beach House pool. Have you ever dreamed of setting sail across the waters in your very own yacht? Now you can build your own cardboard yacht and test its seaworthiness in a race across the Beach House Pool. Build a yacht using just corrugated cardboard and duct tape, decorate it, cross your fingers and hope you can make it to the other side.

Two people must be in the yacht during the race. All boats must be human-powered (no motors).People's Choice Awards will be given in a variety of categories, including "Most Likely to Sink", "Best Use of Theme", and "Most Spirited". The Beach House Courtyard will open for yachts to be on display beginning at 11am. Races will launch beginning at 1pm. Please read attached information sheet for more details on the Cardboard Yacht Regatta, including appropriate yacht building materials, regatta rules and an event timeline.



The Cardboard Yacht Regatta Day pre-registration fee is $20 and early registration is encouraged. For questions or more information, visit the Annenberg Community Beach House website, or call the Beach House at 310-458-4904.

Preregistration required to race your yacht. Register early and enjoy building your boat with friends and family! $20 entry fee per yacht. Payment is NOT required for each sailor who will be in the yacht.This is a team registration. Please register once per yacht that will be entered in the event. .