“Bounded by ancient stone and lush green brush, the sea ebbs and flows in a timeless rhythm, advancing forward and drawing the land into itself.” – Ed Lehming

On the Pacific coast, just below the town of Aliva Beach is a public access spot called Avila Sea Caves. The parking area is just behind where this image was made. The draw of this place is primarily Smuggler’s cave, a large sea cave high on the bluff above the ocean. While the sea cave itself was interesting, it was so marked up with graffiti that it lost its appeal to me. I did make several photos but they really are not worth sharing here.

What did capture my attention was the rocky shore, covered with deep green foliage that seems to flow into the ocean just below the rocky bluff that separates them. Though lush looking, the vegetation is quite dry and prickly, filled with large groves of poison oak and hemlock. The scrubby vegetation stands about chest level on the average person and is so tightly interwoven that passage is nearly impossible. The only access is by a series of tight trails that wind towards access points to the shore.

In the distance, you can see the Avila Pier, originally built in 1908. The first pier in Avila, there were three at one point, was the Hartford Pier, built in 1873 by John Harford to facilitate shipping and trading along the pacific coast. This trade was to become an important part of Avila Beach’s economy, as the piers served to deliver oil to awaiting tankers. I keep forgetting just how important oil was to California at one point. I was surprised to find that this tiny resort town was at one point the largest crude oil shipping port in the world. Remnants of this legacy remain today. In fact, atop the hill to the right of the photo are the remnants many large oil tanks. The access road is blocked to traffic and is posted as belonging to and oil company.

Which gets me back to the timeless ebb and flow of the ocean, having borne witness to all these events, boom times and bust times, relentlessly caressing the shore. I always find it interesting when I research the locations where I photograph. I would never have expected to find such a rich history in this small beach town, on the shores of the mighty Pacific. Were it not for that piece of pier jutting out, I would think I was on a vast and unspoiled shore.

iPhone 14 Pro Max back triple camera 24mm
1/2809 sec, f/1.78, ISO 80