Despite coronavirus guidelines, some head to the beach

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A surfer hangs 10 and a bit more while catching waves as some tried to regain some semblance of normality during days of the coronavirus crisis at Deer Creek beach in Ventura County on April 15, 2020. Point Mugu State Park has been closed since April 7 in an effort to prevent crowds and help stop the spread of the coronavirus. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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A group of friends, who briefly didn’t comply with social distancing restrictions, enjoy a moment of normality amid the coronavirus crisis along Pacific Coast Highway at Point Mugu State Park, (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

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Rojae Mill, 24, left, and Sophie Goodmanson, 23, dance and jump around at a beach in Long Beach that is closed for swimming because of COVID-19. Mill and Goodmanson, both furloughed from a coffee shop, were meeting for the first time since the stay-at-home orders. Goodmanson said the coronavirus has shown us how to be ourselves. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

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Kayakers, boaters and a paddle boarder observe coronavirus social distancing rules while exercising and gliding through Huntington Harbour on the first warm day in weeks. The snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains are seen in the distance. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

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A person floats through calm, cool waters of Bayshore Beach marina in the morning in Long Beach. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

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A man enjoys the morning view of marina and mountains in Long Beach. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

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Security guard Maria Rodas patrols the strand in Hermosa Beach. The strand and the beach were closed because of the coronavirus outbreak. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

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The Ventura Promenade Beach Playground is closed as Ventura has closed its parks, beach and pier. But morning sunshine and warm temperatures brought people to the beach despite warnings about the coronavirus. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

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Miriam Burciga, 27, relaxes on a perch overlooking Point Mugu State Park. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

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Tommie Dillione, left, works on her computer; Chloe Houlihin, who is an on-call medical field engineer, relaxes in a hammock; and Jay Mitsch watches home videos with his son, Avry, 3, at Trask Triangle Park in Playa del Rey. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

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Ventura City Police Lt. Al Gomez gives verbal warnings as people visit the closed Ventura Promenade. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

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Dean Banks, 64, who has spent 61 of those years in Ventura, and his dancing partner Cate Moore. They were cycling through the Ventura Promenade. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

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John Dodson, 69, takes his 3 1/2-mile walk to the Ventura Pier. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

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Ty Renner, 34, left, and husband Randy Renner, 33, work out in front of their home in Hermosa Beach. Normally they work out at a gym called After Burn Fitness in Hermosa Beachm but it is closed because of the coronavirus outbreak. They said that they have a home business called South Bay Social, an entertainment app that informs people what is going on in the area ,but that all their clients are on pause. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

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Children in Ventura. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

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Families, cyclists and joggers continue to congregate at the Ventura Promenade. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

By Andrew J. CampaStaff Writer

April 15, 2020 6:33 PM PT

On a beautiful, sunny day in Southern California, an invisible but very official line marked a difference between those who ventured to the beaches along Pacific Coast Highway amid the coronavirus outbreak and those who mostly stayed home.

On the Los Angeles County side of the line, at Malibu’s Point Dume State Beach, Westward and Zuma beaches, few people on Wednesday jogged or walked along the paved paths. Despite the relative desolation, many wore masks. Just a few miles north, in Ventura County, larger numbers of people gathered at Point Mugu State Park, where they boogie-boarded, swam and surfed. Few covered their faces.

After weeks of gloomy and rainy weather, the temptation to hit Southern California beaches, despite strict guidelines meant to slow spread of the virus, must have been strong on such such a gloriously pristine day.

Most people did not take a bite of the apple. But some took a nibble.

“It’s hard to be at home with a 7-year-old child and not leave the house for weeks,” said West Hollywood resident Asia Zukowska, 34, who parked on the side of the Pacific Coast Highway outside Point Mugu State Park with her partner and son.

“We’ve been following the rules, but you have to spend some time outside too.”

Although Zukowska did not climb down 40 feet through rock and sand to access the beach from the road, about 45 visitors did, a few with dogs. Most appeared to be practicing some social distancing.

Atwater Village resident Chris Sadler enjoyed a double bonus on Wednesday. Not only did he find a relatively sparse beach at Point Mugu State Park, but the 45-year-old father of two was also thrilled to get there in only 44 minutes.

“I think we set the land-speed record,” he quipped.

Sadler picnicked with his wife and children. A day in the sun was necessary, he said.

“The kids haven’t been out in almost a month and they needed a break,” said Sadler.

Beaches just beyond the Ventura County line extending to the Sycamore Canyon Campground and nearly reaching Point Mugu Rock included access for groups of 30 to 50 people. There was even a photo shoot at one beach, with swimsuit models posing around a bright yellow McLaren race car even as cases of COVID-19 continued to rise in the county.

Manuela Sichau, of Santa Monica, enjoys a socially distant perch overlooking Deer Creek beach in Ventura on Wednesday.

All this despite changes to fight the spread of COVID-19, including the closure of the state park. The county also banned gatherings of two or more people outside their homes.

Just south in L.A. County, a group of sheriff’s deputies, lifeguards and volunteers combed the beaches, evidently keeping an out eye for scofflaws.

A sheriff’s cruiser passed one entrance to Zuma Beach roughly every 20 minutes, while a volunteer sheriff was stationed at a remote access way along Westward Beach.

The surveillance kept visitors off the beach. Beyond the waves, packs of dolphins cavorted.

Malibu resident Ellen Burson, 62, was one of the few people walking along the beach.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Burson said. “I’ve been living here for five years and to see this beach closed and empty is unbelievable.”

Burson walked from the outskirts of Zuma Beach to Westward Beach with her friend, 56-year-old Westlake Village resident Jennifer Grimes.

The two passed several warnings along the beaches announcing their closing, including on 42-inch red pylons placed about 20 feet apart and on parking signs. There were also two large white banners near a Westward Beach parking lot.

“This is surreal,” Grimes said of the barren beaches. “I just didn’t expect this.”

Most visitors to the L.A. County beaches wore some sort of facial covering — a departure from the majority of people who ventured onto the Point Mugu State Park beaches.

Chris Kuan, 48, said he wasn’t afraid of contracting COVID-19 while jogging along a relatively empty stretch near Westward Beach.

Still, the 13-year Malibu resident said it was best to follow precautions.

“For me, this is great to have an empty beach and to run alone,” he said, “But we have to take care of each other and avoid doing things that could hurt other people.”

On a warm day in Southern California, county line separates beachgoers from stay-homers

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