If you’ve surfed Steamer Lane recently, you may have noticed dubious cracks forming in the cliff. On the morning of June 22, after weeks of heavy south swells, parts of those cracks gave away as rocks cascaded down into the lineup.
At approximately 7:30 a.m., Surfline’s camera captured the erosion incident. There were surfers in the lineup, but initial reports appear to indicate that no one was injured.
The mudstone and sandstone cliffs of Santa Cruz are prone to erosion. In January 2023, winter storms caused a portion of West Cliff Drive to collapse, leading to a two-year closure on a stretch of the road. The cliffs at Steamer Lane have been eroding in smaller chunks in recent years, creating new obstacles for surfers to navigate at low tide.
But the June 22 event is the largest collapse at Santa Cruz’s iconic surf spot in recent memory. At higher tides, surfers ride close to the cliff, so the new rocks in the water could alter when the wave can be surfed. Some in the comment sections wonder if the rocks could trap sand against the cliff and actually improve the wave.
Large cracks in other sections of the cliff suggest more collapses will occur in the near future. The cliffs at Santa Cruz are a geology class in real time. If you’re surfing the Lane anytime soon, beware of falling rocks.
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