LA’s Coastal Sanctuary
Multimedia Package by Shannon McElvain
The city of Los Angeles is well know around the world for being the center of the entertainment world, tourism, and lots of traffic. With the constant bustle of people driving around from place to place, we often forget that Los Angeles has a lot more to offer than tall buildings and movie stars.
On the western most part of Los Angeles is the coastal town of Malibu, a sanctuary for all who desire to escape the bustle of the inner city. Malibu flourishes with surf culture and provides consistent waves for ocean-goers to implement surfing into their lifestyle.
There are quite a few places in Malibu that draw in an abundance of tourism during the summer months. Leo Carrillo State Beach is known for its great surf that breaks off of a giant bolder about 200 feet off of the shore and a large cluster of rocks for climbing and venturing. For those who are willing to venture far enough along the rocks will find a famous cave tunnel that is only accessible at low tide. It shows a piece of Malibu’s unique personality that you can’t find anywhere else in Los Angeles.
For the locals, Malibu is appreciated and celebrated for being the home to some of the worlds best surf. Surfrider Beach, at the southern most point of Malibu, holds world class waves with extremely long rides, and was one of the first places in southern California where long-boarding became a popular style of surfing. Tate Kazcmarek, a local surfer who recently moved to Malibu from Missouri, describes his experience in Malibu as “Amazing surf. I also enjoy the fact that it is away from the craziness of LA and its more relaxed.”
Other locals who live and grew up in Malibu can agree that it does have amazing surf. Corey Dasilda, Assistant Manager at Becker Surf Shop, had a similar idea about Malibu, only his experience as a surf shop owner has allowed him to reap the benefits of tourism. Corey says, “I love working in one of the most beautiful places in the world, meeting different people from all over the world, and relaxing in an environment with cool employees. The easy going surf shop vibes are pretty cool too.”
Located down the hill from Pepperdine University is Latigo Canyon Beach. This beach has been used for many Hollywood films, and is most recognized for is prominence in the movie “Point Break” starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. Today, Latigo is a very small private beach with a hidden surf break. Very few tourists know about this beach, but to the locals, it is a hidden gem that is greatly appreciated.
Daniel Robinson, author of “The Bu: Spring Break,” grew up in Malibu and currently lives in Latigo Canyon. His experience growing up in Malibu and his relationship with his godfather is what inspired him to write the book. “I had a lot of fun tapping into my creative and imaginative consciousness writing The Bu, which is loosely based on my own personal life experiences in Malibu,” Daniel states. “Growing up here really helped me know just about everything you can about the damn place and its community, so naturally I had the right vision and insight to really capture the cool of surfing.”
Transcript for video: file:///Users/mallory/Downloads/Transcript%20For%20LA’s%20Coastal%20Sanctuary.pdf
