The devastating Eaton and Palisades fires have been fully contained since late January, but several weeks later, the fires are still impacting the oceans — and the people who rely on them.
For the L.A. area surfing community, the lasting effects of the fires have been keeping many from their favorite form of exercise, relaxation and even work.
Alexandra Oxenstierna, a member of the USC Surf Club, hasn’t been able to surf in her regular spot since before Christmas.
“Topanga was my spot,” Oxenstierna said. “But now the beach is completely ruined.”
She said she misses the waves, but surfing anywhere nearby is “very risky because the water quality is terrible.”
When the fires first broke out, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a water closure for many beaches in Los Angeles. A month later, the advisories are still in place “from Surfrider Beach to Las Flores State Beach and from Santa Monica State Beach to Dockweiler State Beach.”
The major fires in L.A. burned thousands of structures, homes and cars, resulting in debris littering the city. Although recent rain storms in Los Angeles have been helpful to end the wildfires, it has also caused contaminants to flow into the ocean.
Keith Plocek, a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and avid surfer, said that he is “really hesitant to go in the water for a while.”
“All that ash, all that asbestos, burnt mattresses, burnt cars … as it rains, it’s also going to wash into the bay,” he said. However, Plocek still wants to surf, so to avoid the hazardous materials, he is “hoping to do a trip to either north or south.”
Angie Rutan is also affected by the water closures. She has not been surfing in Santa Monica Bay since January 7, and said “you can see the ash and the debris on the sand.”
The impact of the unsafe water quality on the surfing community has been devastating.
“It’s not just like a recreational activity for me. It’s also my livelihood,” said Rutan, a surf instructor. She added that “being unable to work and unable to participate in something that’s good for my physical and mental health has really sucked.”
Rutan said she is unsure when she will be able to get back into the water as the city isn’t sharing much information.
“There’s no transparency. There’s no effort being made to share information,” she said. “They have not given us any kind of timeline.”
While many surfers are avoiding the toxic water, some are undeterred, like James Pleasants.
Pleasants, a senior at USC, said he hasn’t stopped surfing. He said he “stayed out of the water for a couple days because [of] runoff in general.”
Now, he said, the water seems “totally fine.” He’s been going to surf almost every day and thinks there are “a normal amount of people out.”
“I’m still going like normal,” Pleasants said. “But I could be a total idiot and not know anything, and it could be the worst thing ever for me.”