Japan experienced an 8.9 magnitude earthquake yesterday, the largest ever on record for Japan, and one of the largest recorded anywhere. With it came a tsunami with reported waves of up to 30 feet high, causing massive destruction and fears of 1000 or more deaths.
The earthquake also caused tsunami warnings around the world. Some beaches in Southern California were closed, and others remained on advisory watch.
Residents of Redondo Beach, California gathered along a small hillside to watch for the tsunami, but so far we have been fortunate that wave levels appeared to remain normal. Even though everything appeared as normal, the National Weather Service expects tsunami wave height amplitudes of 2.1 feet for Redondo Beach, and higher forecasts for other areas of Southern California. This can result in very strong currents, or waves dangerous to people close to shore, as well as damage to boats moored in harbors.
Redondo Beach, California residents line up to see tsunami
Young girl playing at the water's edge during the tsunami warning. Fortunately, a lifeguard came along and she left the beach with her parents.
Our thoughts go out to the people of Japan during this great tragedy! Please keep them in your thoughts during this difficult time!
This is not really a fitting example of “LA’s Good Life,” but this was something that I’ve never seen in my lifetime and I had to write about it. Over a million dead Sardines blanketed the King Harbor Marina in Redondo Beach, California on Tuesday, March 8th, 2011.
Redondo Beach residents woke up to find the marina covered with the dead Sardines, which were floating on the surface of the water. Once cleanup efforts began, officials said there were another 2 to 3 feet of the dead Sardines lining the ocean floor.
I spoke with an unidentified harbor official, and he told me that all of the experts that were on the scene agreed that the Sardines entered the shallow marina and couldn’t find their way out. With so many Sardines concentrated in such a shallow area, they quickly depleted the oxygen in the water which caused their death.
There were various theories as to why they entered the marina, but the two most popular ones seemed to be that they were seeking shelter from the high winds (and rough seas) that hit the area on Monday night, or they entered the marina in an effort to escape a predator.
A third theory is that this is yet another sign of the 2012 prophecy, along with scores of other mass animal deaths that have recently occured around the world.
An accidental occurrence, or 2012…what do you think? Leave your comments below and tell us what you think about this!
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Update: Two days after this, Japan experienced an 8.9 earthquake and a massive tsunami. Southern California also was on tsunami alert, although nothing near the magnitude of Japan’s tsunami. It makes me wonder, is it possible these fish sensed the earthquake and tsunami and somehow affected by that?
Located in San Pedro, with an expansive view that goes on forever, is the Korean Bell of Friendship. The Korean Bell of Friendship is a massive, 17 ton bell that was donated by the Republic of Korea the Los Angeles in 1976 to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States, to honor American veterans of the Korean War, and to symbolize the friendship between the Korea and the United States.
The Korean Bell of Friendship is 12 feet tall, with a diameter of 7 1/2. It’s made of copper and tin, with other metals added for tonal quality. A large wooden log is used to ring the bell, only five times a year:
New Year’s Eve
January 13 – Korean American Day
Fourth of July
August 15 – Korean Liberation Day
Every September in celebration of Constitution Week
Also, the bell was rung on September 11, 2002, commemorating the first anniversary of 911.
Housed in a pagoda-like stone structure with intricate decorations, the Bell Pavilion has unbelievable views of the Southern California coastline, including Catalina Island. You have to visit to see for yourself, but it’s hard to find a better view anywhere!
There’s a large park, with a huge grassy area, a basketball court, and public restrooms. It’s a great place to bring children, fly a kite, have a picnic or just sit and enjoy the view. And the best part of all is it’s free! It can get windy, which is great for flying kites, but I’d recommend bringing a coat with you.
The Korean Bell of Friendship, or the Korean Friendship Bell as it’s sometimes called, is located at:
Korean Bell of Friendship and Bell Pavilion
Angels Gate Park
3601 S Gaffey Street
San Pedro, CA 90731
(310) 548-7705
Living in the Southbay for close to 8 years now, I’m ashamed to say I’ve never played Beach Volleyball. It’s always been one of those things that I said “one day I’m gonna play.” It was something I took for granted, until recently when I connected with a group of guys and girls that plays every Saturday.
I haven’t played volleyball for well over 15 years, but I guess it’s like riding a bicycle (through the sand). It came back pretty quickly, but it’s a workout trying to move in the sand. After a few weeks, I’m finding it much easier to make my way around and almost able to spike the ball now (I feel like I have cement blocks tied to my ankles).
I don’t know if you knew this or not, but volleyball is a fun sport! I forgot how fun it was. Mix that with sun, fresh air and cool breeze, beach, and great people and it doesn’t get much better than that! That combination makes for a truly enjoyable day. Now I understand why I see the same people playing every weekend – it’s addicting!
If you haven’t played beach volleyball, or it’s been a while, I highly recommend getting out there. Because beach volleyball is such a part of the Southern California culture, there’s no shortage of places to play. From Redondo Beach past Santa Monica, pick your beach and you’ll almost certainly find more than enough nets for everyone to play.
Just bring your volleyball, and if you want to get really serious, bring your boundary lines and you’re all set. If you don’t have anyone to play with, don’t be afraid to ask a group if you can join them. Or if you’re not comfortable with that, there are groups that you can join that play every week at most of the local beaches.
Meetup.com is a website where people set up groups for all kinds of things, and you can join, post messages, see schedules and “Meet up” with a group to play volleyball.
Some of the active groups (with links to the group page) on Meetup.com are:
And plenty more. It’s as simple as clicking on the links above, or vising www.meetup.com and looking for a group in your area. No time like the present to get some fresh air, sunshine, beach and exercise, and it’s a great way to meet people.
Last week I wrote about my amazing experience taking Voyager Excursions, out of the Redondo Marina, to see the Blue Whales that are here in record numbers a mile or two off shore.
The local ABC news has an amazing video on their website that shows these magnificent creatures from their chopper, shot with a high-definition camera.
It’s hard to tell from my photos exactly how huge these whales are, but you’ve got to see the ABC video from the air.
From KABC-TV Los Angeles:
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. (KABC) — A pod of 20 to 30 blue whales was spotted about 3.5 miles off the coast of Redondo Beach on Wednesday afternoon.
Related Photos
Blue whales enjoy sunny day in SoCal
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Several whale-watching boats and a few paddle-boarders were nearby to enjoy the amazing sight up close. AIR7 HD caught the whales on camera as they enjoyed the clear, sunny day along the Pacific Ocean.
It’s very rare to see blue whales in these waters; some say it’s been 20 to 30 years since they’ve seen a pod of blue whales in the area. The unique experience made the afternoon adventure on the Voyager Excursion a trip of a lifetime for the more than 140 people on board. (read entire article →)
and this video taken from the Voyager boat:
If you haven’t yet, take this opportunity to make it to Redondo Beach. You don’t know if this opportunity will come again!
This year residents of Los Angeles, as well as those lucky enough to visit are being blessed with something that has never before been seen in this area.
