Have a great day at the beach, but don't dig too deep in the sand. That's the message in Del Mar, which recently passed an ordinance banning "hazardous holes" deeper than 2 feet on the beach.
It takes effect on Wednesday, March 25.
“Families come to the beach to play in the sand, and part of that is making sandcastles and digging. And 2 feet isn't very deep," said Sarah Kowalick of Las Vegas. She was visiting Del Mar Thursday, helping her 4-year-old daughter build a sandcastle.
Kowalick doesn't think the depth limit will be enforceable, but said another part of the ordinance is more reasonable. That part requires beachgoers to refill the holes they've dug.
"Cleaning up those holes or refilling them is more attainable than saying don't do it at all,” she said.
Christopher White of Oceanside has fond memories of going to the beach and digging holes, which were among his favorite things to do.
"I'd get out there with my little shovel, and I'd just dig a trench," White said. "And then you'd bury your sister in it or something like that."
White himself was buried in the sand when KPBS talked to him. The new ordinance won't allow that either.
The city said it’s for safety reasons. Big holes create tripping hazards and make it tough for lifeguards and emergency trucks to get through.
"If you're worried about the safety of the beach, just make sure it gets filled afterward," White said. "I think that's fair.”
Del Mar said it is not the only city with this type of ordinance. Los Angeles County and the cities of Imperial Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach all have similar policies.
Tyler Lampee said he understands the safety concern. He said he fell into a hole many times when he worked as a junior lifeguard in Del Mar.
“I know the lifeguards have to fill in the holes," Lampee said. "And I remember them teaching us it was pretty sketch to have deep holes, because all of a sudden the lifeguard trucks (would) hit them, or somebody else falls into it.”
The city said the ordinance isn’t about fining people, but rather about keeping them safe at the beach.
