I was at a concert at the Santa Monica Civic that night (Frank Marino or Frank Zappa cant remember). We came out of the concert and went over to the parking lot and there's all kinds of giant timbers and logs washing around in foot deep water. "wow, that's the pier. That was a HELL of a concert".
I remember before the storm, all the different color starfish used to cling on the SM Pier pylons. Now, they're all gone. I also remember before sunblock became a pasty film on the body, everyone at the beach used a Piña Colada suntanning oil on their bodies, and you can smell that tropical fragrance all day on the SM pier (and at the beach boardwalk).
Back around 1971 to 1973, I used to get dropped off at midnight to fish and crab from the pier. One night, I suddenly encountered a small group of school 'bullies' that threatened to throw me off into the water. I just told them "I'll race you to the beach!!" and then I got up on the railing and did by best backflip off of it. Then, I landed deep in the water, rose to the surface and swam really hard towards shore, but the outgoing tide didn't help me any. They beat me in that race, but I beat them soon in the 'admiration' and 'friendship' regards. To destroy the enemy you must make them friends. I didn't tell them that I'd swim 1.5 miles off shore often by myself, that I grew up with swimming pools in the back yard. I had that skill but they assumed I was that brave. I was really, really frightened about what I could hit below the water though! There could have been fishing nets capturing and keeping me, discarded items and fishing lines covered in fish hooks, sharks sleeping, jellies to sting me, and the water could have easily taken me underneath the pier... scraping me against all their pilings with a multitude of sharp barnacles, after all.
I was 21 and there on the beach, hoping the pier could withstand the coming storm. I have yet to see waves that reached as high as they did that winter. Santa Monica used to be a great livable place, before all the high density buildings, and hordes of tech geeks moved in. There are just way too many people here now. Not to mention the huge amount of tourists that invade on a daily basis. Santa Monica, pacific palisades, and Malibu, up until the mid 90s was paradise.
i remember this .i was living in venice when this happened .i was 9 years old and i think if i remember right there was an old Moby Dicks restaurant that sat at the end of the pier and the whole thing fell in the ocean .
I slept through the storm (it was my day off) but took photos of the Venice pier whch broke at it's land conncetion and was severly damaged...many homes along the M.D.R. beach front were damaged as well, since the water came all the way up to their frontage...
This looks like it may be the January storm. The March storm that year did even more damage. Yes, that area has changed quite a bit since then. It had gotten run down and was kind of dumpy in the '70s and '80s with some people in favor of tearing it down, but rebuilding from the '83 storms and further redevelopment in the '90s (the rebirth of the amusement park, etc) brought the crowds back. Now Santa Monica without the last remaining pier in that area (out of several that once stood in SM and Venice) would be unthinkable.
I think I found some of the wreckage in my recent video, I had no idea this happened but now it makes sense. There's a bunch of Rubble from old structure all over the bottom of the water
looks like the pier has changed a lot over the years
Yep.
I was at a concert at the Santa Monica Civic that night (Frank Marino or Frank Zappa cant remember). We came out of the concert and went over to the parking lot and there's all kinds of giant timbers and logs washing around in foot deep water. "wow, that's the pier. That was a HELL of a concert".
I remember before the storm, all the different color starfish used to cling on the SM Pier pylons. Now, they're all gone. I also remember before sunblock became a pasty film on the body, everyone at the beach used a Piña Colada suntanning oil on their bodies, and you can smell that tropical fragrance all day on the SM pier (and at the beach boardwalk).
sounds lovely
Back around 1971 to 1973, I used to get dropped off at midnight to fish and crab from the pier. One night, I suddenly encountered a small group of school 'bullies' that threatened to throw me off into the water. I just told them "I'll race you to the beach!!" and then I got up on the railing and did by best backflip off of it. Then, I landed deep in the water, rose to the surface and swam really hard towards shore, but the outgoing tide didn't help me any. They beat me in that race, but I beat them soon in the 'admiration' and 'friendship' regards. To destroy the enemy you must make them friends. I didn't tell them that I'd swim 1.5 miles off shore often by myself, that I grew up with swimming pools in the back yard. I had that skill but they assumed I was that brave. I was really, really frightened about what I could hit below the water though! There could have been fishing nets capturing and keeping me, discarded items and fishing lines covered in fish hooks, sharks sleeping, jellies to sting me, and the water could have easily taken me underneath the pier... scraping me against all their pilings with a multitude of sharp barnacles, after all.
I was 21 and there on the beach, hoping the pier could withstand the coming storm. I have yet to see waves that reached as high as they did that winter. Santa Monica used to be a great livable place, before all the high density buildings, and hordes of tech geeks moved in. There are just way too many people here now. Not to mention the huge amount of tourists that invade on a daily basis. Santa Monica, pacific palisades, and Malibu, up until the mid 90s was paradise.
You commented the same thing or another video… No one cares.
i remember this .i was living in venice when this happened .i was 9 years old and i think if i remember right there was an old Moby Dicks restaurant that sat at the end of the pier and the whole thing fell in the ocean .
You are correct. There was a Moby Dick's Restaurant. I was 12 when it happened.
the best pier on earth always
I slept through the storm (it was my day off) but took photos of the Venice pier whch broke at it's land conncetion and was severly damaged...many homes along the M.D.R. beach front were damaged as well, since the water came all the way up to their frontage...
This looks like it may be the January storm. The March storm that year did even more damage.
Yes, that area has changed quite a bit since then. It had gotten run down and was kind of dumpy in the '70s and '80s with some people in favor of tearing it down, but rebuilding from the '83 storms and further redevelopment in the '90s (the rebirth of the amusement park, etc) brought the crowds back. Now Santa Monica without the last remaining pier in that area (out of several that once stood in SM and Venice) would be unthinkable.
Oh how the tides have come
I think I found some of the wreckage in my recent video, I had no idea this happened but now it makes sense. There's a bunch of Rubble from old structure all over the bottom of the water
I was paddled out and surfed it while it was happening.
How old are you
46
That's what the pier used to look like? o_O
I had no clue
Bummed me out
Since when does California have waves like that? I lived here all my life 18 years and never seen waves like that
This happened in 1983.