Hey everyone, I found this interesting and it might be something that Doc has already seen, But it makes for some interesting reading on the subject so thought id share it here.
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Monastery Beach Has Deadly Reputation: Monastery Beach Has a Deadly Reputation
Posted on: Sunday, 27 January 2008, 09:00 CST
By Laith Agha, The Monterey County Herald, Calif.
Jan. 27--It's known as "Mortuary Beach" for a reason.
With its pounding surf, riptides and unusually steep beach, the half-mile stretch of Carmel River Beach formally known as Monastery Beach has seen unwary visitors and scuba divers swept away at a rate that earned it the morbid nickname.
At least one local diver said the California Department of Parks and Recreation could save lives with improved signs to inform visitors of the beach's unusually dangerous conditions.
"Over the last 25 years or so, I have seen a lot of people die on that beach," said Frank Koucky, 57, of Carmel Valley.
After learning about a diver drowning there last month, Koucky called Loren Rex, the local public safety superintendant for the state parks, to suggest replacing the beach's warning signs with ones that might more effectively alert visitors to hidden dangers presented by the beach's unique conditions.
The December drowning was 2007's only fatality at the beach, though two people -- nondivers -- were rescued from the water last summer.
Monterey County's state parks office was unable to provide a history of deaths at the beach or nearby spots along the coast. Rex said Carmel Bay, a span of coastline from Point Lobos State Preserve to Pescadero Point in Pebble Beach, averages about two drownings a year.
Since 2004, 14 divers have died in Monterey County waters at spots including Point Lobos, Lovers Point in Pacific Grove and San Carlos Beach near Cannery Row, according
to the Divers Alert Network medical research department. Two deaths reportedly occurred at Monastery Beach.
A search of Herald's archives, combined with the network's data, revealed at least 15 deaths of divers and nondivers since 1985.
"I would say that is probably the highest rate" among Monterey-area beaches, Rex said.
Koucky, who has been diving for more than 40 years, said many Monastery Beach victims are out-of-towners driving by, looking for a good spot to dive or spend a sunny afternoon with the family. They are often ignorant of the danger of the surf's strong undertow and the unusually steep shore.
"In my experience, many good divers have died there," Koucky said. "Children often play near the water because parents just don't know."
The most egregious occurrence was in 1986, when a family of four from Pakistan stopped at Monastery Beach while driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco. They were posing for a photograph when a wave knocked them down and pulled them in.
The beach running along Highway 1 just south of the Carmel River is named for the Carmelite Monastery across the road.
Warnings posted|
The beach is marked with signs at four locations, warning visitors that "surf (is) subject to unexpected life-threatening waves and currents" and "climbing on rocks, swimming and wading (are) unsafe."
But the signs do not explain in detail the severe conditions that often prove deadly, which is what Koucky hopes will change. The signs also don't tell beachgoers how frequently visitors -- mostly divers -- lose their lives there.
Koucky said he would like a history of fatalities to be part of new signs.
"If you merely say, 'Be careful,' well, everything says be careful," Koucky said. "But if you say, 'Many, many people have died here,' they may take notice. Unfortunately, that's what it takes to get people to be cautious."
Whether state park signs would include examples of those overtaken by treacherous waters would be up to the department's legal department, Rex said.
"What I would like to do is have two interpretive panels on the north and south sides (of the beach), where most of the divers enter," Rex said. "Then in the middle of the beach we'd be looking to put in these 'steep beach' signs to let the public know it can be real hazardous too close to the water."
Rex said he is putting together a proposal that would likely go through several stages before getting final approval, starting with submission to the local Parks Department office and possibly ending up in front of the state Coastal Commission.
If the proposal glides through the ranks, "it could be a couple months," Rex said. "But if we go back and forth on the design, or if we receive public opposition, it could take longer or get shot down."
Based on Sonoma sign|
The proposed sign exclaims "danger" in bold red capital letters, outlined in black. Beneath "danger" is written "steep beach" in red capital letters. Below that is a graphic that displays a cross section of the shore detailing the beach's steepness, its deep and long shore trough that lies beneath the surface, potential wave activity and what can happen to someone dragged underwater.
Safety recommendations, listed at the bottom of the proposed sign, inform beach visitors to stay above the beach's steep face, to supervise children at all times, and never to face away from or play tag with waves. It recommends calling 911 rather than attempting to rescue anyone in trouble.
The design is based on a sign made for Sonoma Coast State Park's Goat Rock beach, said Alex Peabody, aquatic specialist for the state parks public safety division.
Goat Rock, which is bordered to the north by the mouth of the Russian River, "has a notorious shore break and is a really dangerous area where they have lost a lot of people," Peabody said.
A ban on diving at Monastery Beach is not part of the conversation for state parks, nor among divers.
"It's not a problem with no surf," Peabody said. "But when there is surf, that beach can be very difficult to negotiate with the shore break."
Deadly spot|
James Vincent, a 19-year-old master diver and employee of Aquarius Dive Shop in Monterey, said local divers know when to head to Monastery Beach and when to stay away, but out-of-towners unaware of its hazards are prone to underestimating it.
"It's not a beach you want to mess with," Vincent said. "The day when that guy died (last month), it was extremely rough weather. I was surprised to hear someone was out that day. There are days when it's plenty calm. But on days when it's rough, I drive right by it."
Koucky said he hasn't gone in Monastery's waters since 2000, when he narrowly escaped a difficult situation while exiting the water. But a ban on diving at the beach should not be a consideration, he said, because its bountiful underwater world can be explored safely when the conditions are right.
He simply wants all visitors -- divers or not -- to know the potential hazards.
"It's a frightening thing to see death after death after death in the same spot, and they're all preventable," Koucky said. "All I want is for people to not die at that beach at the same rate."
Laith Agha can be reached at 646-4358 or
lagha@montereyherald.com.
............ I think its unfortunate that people die while going to the beach. ever hear of a band called tesla. they do a song about sign's'. I dont think the sign is broken. its the chance we take when we go anywhere.
