How the Oil Spill Hurt the Heart of a Huntington Beach Resident

This past week beach goers in Huntington Beach were met with a harsh reality. Approaching their beloved city and dog beaches, residents were expecting a well spent afternoon full of surfing, swimming, and enjoying the sand and balmy weather. What they were greeted with at the beach was nothing of the sorts. The beaches’ shores were contaminated with large gobs of oil that not only polluted the water but gave the coastline a murky look. Clumps of oil locked into the sand, as the shore was painted with the black veil of oil invested waters. Those that tried to approach the waves felt the wet splashes of the dense water, as the oil and sand laid stuck on their legs.

On October 2, the oil spill in Southern California devasted not only the beaches and costal regions, but the inhabitants and their respective ecosystems. Displaced and lacking a means to survive, many animals are running out of options. As for beachgoers, their beach sanctuaries are now landlocked with the heaps of oil that will affect the land for years after.
Noah Barnes, an avid surfer and longtime Huntington Beach resident (dated October 20, 2021) spoke to writers about the horrors unfolding at his local beaches and how he plans to help in the future. He describes his drive to aid the beaches as not only a responsibility, but a privilege to give back to the place that gifted him so many hours of fun memories. He provides his personal experience as a catalyst, in order to inspire others to take care of their local beaches and consider how they treat the ecosystem. His immediate audience are the locals of Huntington Beach, but he hopes his message spreads out to the residents of Southern California.
Barnes has been living in Surf City since the age of 12 and has been surfing ever since. Now 20, he recollects on what the beach has meant for him throughout his time in Huntington Beach.

“It symbolizes my safe space really,” starts Barnes, “I’ve been coming here for years now and it’s practically my second home. Whether I’m surfing or just enjoying the atmosphere the beach always has something to offer for me.” With the recent oil spill however, Barnes has seen his second home invaded with the pungent oil that has attacked the beaches of Southern California. As he grapples with the reality of the latest events, the surfer struggles to put his feelings into words. “Seeing the beach hurt for sure. I saw pictures but it’s a totally different feeling when you see it in person.”

While he feels deflated by what he has seen he believes going has been eye opening in more ways than one. “Being there felt unreal. I haven’t seen the beaches over in Newport, but I’ve heard they’re much worse. When you see it you really feel the weight of the situation and you start to understand how serious it actually is.” Barnes also states that he hasn’t been able to surf since, and feels the impact of losing out on an integral part of his weekly routine. “I’ve had to stay away from the water from the most part, I have a few friends who can’t take it and have surfed anyways. I don’t know if I’ll get to that point, but it’s been hard to sit out and avoid a place I love to be and not surf when I am there.”

But for Barnes, the situation is so much deeper than his current inability to surf. He wrestles with his own environmental responsibility and speaks to his newfound perspective overall. “Its weird,” begins Barnes, “Even though I’ve been going to the beach forever, I really wouldn’t call myself a super big nature person. But this whole experience has really changed that.”

Although Barnes does not profess to have become an ecologist overnight, he now feels driven to be environmentally aware and learn to be more cognizant of how he impacts the beach. “I think I’ve spent all this time enjoying the beach and what it gives me, but I’ve never really put the time into giving back to it.” Barnes looks on to the future, hopeful to carry himself in a way that not only preserves the beach but gives it life. More than ever, he recognizes the importance of “being a good steward of what I have and showing my thankfulness by taking care of what I got.”