Cabrillo Beach waters remain closed because of bacteria levels

The ocean at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro remains closed to swimming and other such activities because of high bacteria levels found in water testing leading up to the new year — which canceled the 74th annual Polar Bear Swim.

Red warning signs remained posted at the beach on Friday, Jan. 2. The signs read, “Beach closed for water contact activities — contaminated water — contact with water may cause illness” and feature an image of a swimmer with a line drawn across it.

But the outer beach, Los Angeles County officials said on Friday, was under a yellow warning category and only the inner beach was closed.

A red closure sign, however, was seen at the outer beach on Friday, but apparently, it was misplaced there, according to a county spokesperson.

“The closure only applies to Inner Cabrillo Beach and should have red closure signs posted,” Brett Morrow, spokesperson for the county Department of Public Health, said in a Friday email. “The advisory applies to Outer Cabrillo Beach and should have yellow advisory signs posted. Public Health will follow up with Lifeguards to ensure the correct signs are posted in the correct areas.”

Yellow advisory signs read, “Ocean water bacteria level exceeds state standards and may cause illness.”

Two factors were believed to be the cause of the pollution levels on the San Pedro beaches: the rain and a sewage spill in Carson just two days before Christmas.

In a social media post early Wednesday, Dec. 31, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said the Polar Bear Swim, a popular New Year’s Day tradition in San Pedro, would have to be called off because of the high bacterial levels.

“In the wake of last week’s storm and sewage spill, testing by the Department of Public Health shows that bacteria levels are still high in the waters off Cabrillo Beach and any contact with the ocean could cause you serious illness,” Hahn, a regular participant of the swim, said in the statement. “The beach will remain closed for at least the next few days.”

While the new year’s swim was ultimately canceled, people still gathered on the beach on Thursday, with the Polar Bear Club providing refreshments and camaraderie on the first day of the new year in lieu of the decades-old tradition. Councilmember Tim McOsker and others participated in a ceremonial ice bath on the shore, according to club members.

The rare circumstance of the last-minute cancellation became necessary when public health officials reported unsafe levels of water contamination. Both sides of Cabrillo — the inner and outer harbors — were tested, officials said.

But there was no shortage of confusion over the notices that came out in the last couple of days before the swim was scheduled. Questions were raised by some club members about whether the testing was different for the outer beach waters versus the inner beach, which is typically much more of a trap for bacteria because of the lack of water circulation.

The County Department of Public Health, meanwhile, said in a statement that, as of Friday:

• Inner Cabrillo Beach remains closed under a rain advisory.
• Testing will resume when the rain advisory is lifted, which will occur 72 hours after the last rainfall. Upon the lifting of the rain advisory, daily testing of inner Cabrillo Beach will occur until two consecutive daily samples indicate that the ocean water meets state standards for bacteria.
• The lifeguard has been directed to maintain the closure signs posted at inner Cabrillo Beach. This closure only applies to inner Cabrillo Beach as indicated on the county’s DPH website.
• Outer Cabrillo Beach remains under a rain advisory. An ocean water closure is DPH’s strongest ocean water advisory, though there is no enforcement to keep people out of the water.
• With weather forecasts predicting an 80% chance of rain through Sunday and a 38% chance of rain through Tuesday, Jan. 6, the initial sampling could begin Thursday to Saturday, Jan. 8-10, depending on rainfall. Lab results are available after 24 hours, so the earliest the ocean water closure could be lifted, if all samples are clear, would be Saturday.

Under either a closure or advisory, recommendations to avoid ocean water and wet sand carry warnings for possible exposure to potentially serious illnesses.

With the extensive approvals and insurance clearances needed to sponsor the New Year’s Day swim every year, the effort to organize and plan the event is monumental.

The New Year’s Day swim is one of the town’s longest-running traditions — and typically draws hundreds into the Cabrillo Beach surf.

Cancellations before this year have occurred twice in the swim’s long history: in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and in 2021 due to another contamination issue.

An alternative make-up swim is not being planned, club President Lisa Guerr said Friday.

The next plunge will occur — barring rain, sewage or any other disruption — on Jan. 1, 2027.