Crescent Bay

The next several posts step southwards along Laguna Beach's coastline. There are an awful lot of fairly distinct beaches along this stretch, some more accessible than others, but I had only so much time and so much navigational talent. For each that I got to, there were several that I didn't: Victoria Beach, Treasure Island, Shaw's Cove, 1000 Steps. (More on Laguna Beach's Beaches)

AERIAL VIEW

Crescent Bay is a small pocket-like beach. I say pocket-like, because while it is bounded by rocky promontories, I suspect the nearshore sediment system is more continuous than the headlands might indicate. The big waves reach deep and the sand probably extends well offshore. The continuity of the littoral system may be determined as much by offshore bathymetry as it is by the outline of the terrestrial landscape.

As in much of southern California, the Pacific Coast Highway and a bulk of the development lie on a marine terrace (or terraces) - the legacy of a tectonically-active, uplifting coastline. But the development in Laguna Beach, much in the form of expensive homes, tends to extend right to the edge of the terrace and often drapes down over it, sometimes right to the water's edge.