So last week I was hanging out at Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz with my kid, trying to teach her how to spot crabs in tide pools. It was weird though – we barely found any. That got me wondering what’s going on with our ocean here.
Getting My Hands Dirty
I dug out this old thermometer from my gardening supplies – the kind with the big dial. Next morning at 7 AM, I waded knee-deep near the Municipal Wharf. Nearly dropped the damn thing when a wave hit. Water read 57°F, which felt colder than my morning coffee. Did this every dang day for two weeks straight.
Here’s what I noticed:
- Monday-Wednesday: Steady around 58°F with normal kelp movement
- Thursday: Sudden spike to 63°F after south winds kicked in
- Friday: Saw dead mussels washed up everywhere
- Saturday: Temperature dropped back to 59°F but zero sea stars in usual spots
The Local Angle
Chatted up this old fisherman Pete who’s been here since the 80s. He showed me his logbook – used to be rare for temps to hit 60°F before July. Now it happens constantly in May. His exact words: “The damn fish are confused as tourists at a roundabout.”
Tracked this for a month and saw a pattern: every time temperatures jumped suddenly, within two days:
- Seaweed would get all droopy like wilted lettuce
- Birds would swarm the pier like it’s happy hour
- That funky ocean smell got way stronger
Why This Messes With Marine Life
Turns out it’s not just about the number on the thermometer. When water warms too fast:
- Little fish bolt away from shore looking for cold spots
- Seaweed stops growing right when baby fish need hiding places
- Oxygen drops like battery life on an old phone
Watched a whole class of tiny rockfish get picked off by seagulls last Tuesday because warmer water pulled them too close to surface. Nature’s brutal, man.
What I’m Doing Now
Got a cheap underwater thermometer zip-tied to my kayak paddle. Been tracking same spot near Natural Bridges every Sunday. Posted a whiteboard on my garage door where neighbors scribble their own observations. Already see how the tiny changes affect fishing trips and even beach days with the kids.
Whole thing made me realize – that number isn’t just science talk. When ocean temperatures go wacky here, it’s like dominoes knocking down everything from the plankton to the damn pelicans.
