Shell Beach

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Report By Ken

I parked on Ocean Boulevard and carried the kayak down a staircase to the sandy beach below. The surf, although fairly small, routinely covered the patch of sand and made me wait to set up for a quick launch through the breakers.

Once outside the surf zone, I paddled south and east along the shoreline, ogling the million-dollar homes on the cliffs above the water. There were a few small rock gardens and stacks to negotiate, and it seemed that every rock had at least three or four pelicans on top of it.

After about fifteen minutes or so, I found myself nearing Dinosaur Rock, a large stack that sits just offshore. There's an archway cut into one part of the rock, a sort of stretched-out bridge of stone that was easy to paddle through. A cave in the rock was less forthcoming, and since the waves were smashing into the area all around it, I decided to go around rather than through.

Just next to Dinosaur Rock though, at the base of the cliffs in the lee of the offshore formation, was another cave. Two separate entrances that led to one big room inside the rock, with a gravel beach at the back in the darkness. The water here was calm and easy, since the bulk of the surf had spent itself on the rocks further out.

I paddled further to the south when I came out of the cave, but I had an appointment that evening that I knew I couldn't be late for, so it wasn't long before I headed back the way I came. I am already looking forward to going back.