Gov. Gruelsom Newsom announced Monday that the next stage of reopening California's economy will begin as early as Friday. This is what they are referring to as "Stage 2".

Newsom's "Stage 2" of reopening will allow for retail business to open for curbside pick-up only. Businesses such as book stores, clothing stores, sporting goods, toy stores and florists, will be allowed to re-open, given they follow additional safety and hygiene protocols that will be released Thursday, Newsom claims.

Surf shops fall under the clothing and sporting goods categories.

Shopping malls will not be allowed to reopen.

But Newsom also emphasized that local officials still have the authority to accelerate or slow down reopening at the county level.

For more of our coverage of the Coronavirus lockdown, closures, and how our local surf community and businesses are doing, CLICK HERE

At approx 8:36 PM, lifeguards respond to a missing swimmer in G Basin of the Marina Del Rey Harbor. The swimmer was located by divers and transferred to the paramedics and determined dead.

Well, it looks like our surf spot photos are back. Here's just some of the surf photos from red tide Saturday morning at the Venice Breakwater. This set of photos was shot by Six12 Media.

These are just a few of the 50+ photos from this session. If you were out there, you probably got some surfing shots, probably multiple photos, they will be in the complete photo gallery for this day, check them out, the link to the complete gallery is down below.
















You can find about 40 more photos from this session, all full size and in high-resolution, in this photo gallery:

Venice Breakwater - Saturday 5-2-2020 Photo Gallery



If you were out there, we probably got some cool surfing shots of you, go check them out!

Wanna see photos from previous days at this and other local surf spots?
Click Surf Spot Galleries and look for the spot and then the date.

Thursday morning at approximately 9:40AM, Lifeguards attempted to rescue a beached dolphin just north of the Venice Pier.

Six12 Media was there as it happened and was uploading video footage to our Instagram Stories live as it happened.

The dolphin swam thru the red tide waves straight to the shore, said the lady who first saw it.




The lifeguards did their best to get the sling over to be able to carry dolphin back out to the water.



As the dolphin was about to be carried out via the sling, Marine Animal Rescue’s Peter Wallerstein arrived, and check out the dolphin. Wallerstein announce that the dolphin had passed away already.




The dolphin was then removed from the beach by a front loader(tractor).

Last week, the city of Santa Monica said the new parking restiction at Bay Street was only ging to be for that weekend due to the warm weather. And those restrictions were lifted the following Monday. But they just put them back today. So It seems like this is going to happen every weekend now, regardless of the weather.

Vehicles with a displayed residential parking permit from within a two block radius can park at the bagged meters and will not be cited or towed.

Source: The official Twitter for the City of Santa Monica,

For more of our coverage of the Coronavirus lockdown, closures, and how our local surf community and businesses are doing, CLICK HERE

Huntington Beach's beach closure started today, but surfers and bodyboarders were still seen in the water getting waves this morning. Several pro surfers were spotted out there too.

Brooke Daigneault came out of the water as the police drove by. She said, "Well, I just waved to the police officer, he waved back. So I guess we're cool." And then she went back out again.



Surfer Keanu Igarashi, left talks to police on the south side of the Huntington Beach pier. Photo: Michael Fernandez

Keanu Igarashi was one of the surfers who surfed this morning. Keanu said the police told him they weren’t sure of what to do, they are in a hard spot in this situation. The city is fighting the governor’s order to close the beach.

Some claim the police may have been more focused on the then upcoming protest march to bother with the surfers, others feel the cops just don't want to deal with this crap.



Photo: Michael Fernandez

For more of our coverage of the Coronavirus lockdown, closures, and how our local surf community and businesses are doing, CLICK HERE

This is a photo take today over Huntington Beach. Photo: Chris Cristi from the ABC helicopter


Gov. Gavin Newsom closed beaches in Orange County on Thursday, overriding some local officials who had rejected his pleas to limit access as the coronavirurs continues to spread throughout the state.

Yesterday, news "leaked" that a memo to the state's police chiefs was sent indicating that Govenor Newsom was preparing to close all beaches in the state of California.

This was all because last weekend, images of large crowds at Newport and Huntington made global headlines and that made Newsom mad.


Newport Beach, Friday, April 24. Photo: Chris Cristi from the ABC helicopter
Newsom said those packed beaches were “disturbing" and makes it more difficult for him to consider relaxing the state's mandatory stay-at-home order.

“The only thing that will delay it is more weekends like last weekend," he roared. “Let's not see that happen.”

Both Newport and Huntington responded with statements via social media that the crowds were not what all the photos and videos depicted, claiming the images were shot with telephotos lens and other trickery. Newsome didn't buy it.

San Diego beaches opened this week, but with restrictions. Officials are allowing walking, jogging, swimming, single-person paddle boarding and kayaking, and of course, surfing. Stopping, sitting, or lying down on the beach is banned. Good thing SUP'ing is allowed, now the head of the WSL could go out and get some, instead of thinking up more lame ass WSL reality shows.

A statement from Newsom's office called restrictions like that “responsible strategies to allow residents to recreate in coastal areas.”


San Diego on April 27. Photo: K.C. Alfred

San Diego beaches were saved from the Gov's new closure order.

Kevin Faulconer, the mayor of San Diego, took to Twitter to announce the news: "Great news: the Governor heard us. San Diego beaches WILL STAY OPEN under our plan approved by lifeguards and health officials. In a time of great crisis we don't need knee-jerk policies. We need to keep a steady hand. It’s the only way to keep the public’s trust. Keep it up, SD!"

“We are hopeful that Orange County can work with us to apply a similar approach,” the Governor's Office said in a news release.

So around noon today, Newsom ended up limiting the new order to just Orange County beaches.

“Governor Newsom just doesn't seem to get it,” said Republican state Sen. John Moorlach, a former Orange County Supervisor who represents the area in the state Legislature. “We need to trust people. If our citizens exercise proper social distancing, then we should allow access to the beaches.”

“Every local law enforcement entity found last weekend’s beach usage in Orange County to be in compliance with social distancing. Yet King Gavin decided press stories were more worthy of trust than law enforcement. I guess we should not be surprised,” read a statement from OC GOP Chairman Fred Whitaker.

OC Sheriff Don Barnes said enforcing the beach closure is tricky, especially because officials didn’t have the written order Thursday afternoon.

Barnes said sheriff deputies will be looking for “voluntary compliance” on the beach closures, like they do with the existing stay home orders that shut down non-essential businesses like bars, nightclubs, concert halls, sports arenas and movie theaters.

“My responsibility, as the County Sheriff, is to protect lives and property and also while preserving the Constitutional rights of the residents of Orange County. And in that, there’s a balancing test,” Barnes said at the Thursday news conference.

He said the department will focus on educating residents about the beach closures in a light-handed approach to enforcement.

“From an enforcement component, I have no desire to enforce any aspect of that through arrest. We have various other aspects we are dealing with going forward.”

Tonight, the Huntington Beach City Council voted during an emergency session to seek an injunction against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order to close Orange County beaches. The governor ordered Orange County beaches closed on Thursday despite opposition from local leaders who argue they should decide whether it’s safe to hit the sand.


And what about Ventura?


Photo: @CountyVentura

"Despite some of the headlines Ventura County beaches were not packed last weekend", the Ventura County Twitter account stated. "Shout out to our community for following the rules and for the hard work of all police agencies throughout coastal cities. VC you are helping stop the spread of COVID-19"

Ventura has “keep moving” guidelines at their beaches. If you head to the beach you can only walk, run, swim or surf. You cannot sit or sunbathe. Parking and bathrooms remain closed.

"Soft closures at County of Ventura, City of Port Hueneme, City of Oxnard and City of Ventura Beaches. Walking, running, swimming, surfing all good but hanging on the beach is not permitted. Basically, you must keep moving. No sunbathing, chairs, blankets, coolers, sun shade umbrellas. You must keep moving. Please follow social distancing guidance. Please enjoy the weekend safely. Our Deputies and law enforcement throughout the County are on watch."

Meanwhile, all of our Los Angeles beaches remain closed.



For more of our coverage of the Coronavirus lockdown, closures, and how our local surf community and businesses are doing, CLICK HERE

To help slow down the spread of COVID-19, Jacks Surfboards retail locations are temporarily close all stores, but their online shop is open. .

Jacks Surfboards will stay committed to serving customers through their online shop and are offering 25% OFF SITEWIDE for a limited time with code SAVE25.

Shop online @ Jacks Surfboards