Zuma beach is one of many beaches within the city of Malibu. Many non-locals know it for its appearances in popular media such as the final scene of 1968’s “Planet of the Apes,” lyrics from U2’s song “California,” or even the name of Gwen Stefani’s second child. Among LA County Lifeguards, though, Zuma is often associated with its prevalent rip currents. Rip currents form when breaking waves leave a raised water level on the shore that then needs to escape back out to open water. This water will tend to find a “path of least resistance,” such as areas with slightly deeper water or breaks in offshore sandbars. The water will tend to flow out within these areas, thus forming a rip current that can carry people and objects beyond the point of breaking waves. Proof of Zuma’s rip current infamy/reliability can be found on LA County Fire Department’s webpage titled “Rip Current Safety.” While the page doesn’t mention Zuma beach in any of the page’s text, two of the photos of rip currents used on the page have file names that indicate that they were actually captured at Zuma beach.
Finally, here are some photos I took when I visited Zuma beach.
Chris —
Great blog post! I did not know that rip currents were so common in the waters surrounding Zuma Beach. The arial pictures you included are great visuals for seeing what a rip current looks like, and I gotta say, they look freaky!
I like that you included pop-culture references in addition to your coastal geography lens. Sidebar: is it a safe assumption to say that you used your Trader Joe’s bag to clean up the beach?
My only criticism is that the description of the beach itself was a little lackluster. I was hoping for my visual details of the beach, the water, the aroma of the air, etc. Despite this minor criticism, I think you did a great job!