Posted on August 12, 2026
By Jorge Lajo
Tamarack State Beach in Carlsbad looked completely different two weeks ago. Today, thanks to powerful swells generated by Hurricane Genevieve, much of its sand is gone, exposing rocky terrain and forcing officials to shut down parts of the coastline.
What happened
According to SFGATE, strong swells caused by Hurricane Genevieve battered the Southern California coast, transforming Tamarack State Beach near Carlsbad from a sandy paradise into a rocky stretch of shoreline. As the sand disappeared, riprap boulders lining the beach’s parking lot moved into unstable positions. KTLA reported that the erosion forced officials to close at least 35 parking spaces and relocate several lifeguard towers.
California State Parks spokesperson Jorge Moreno told SFGATE that recent summer swells and high tides eroded sections of the beach, including the area in front of the Tamarack parking lot, and that the sand loss combined with tide and wave action caused the riprap to shift westward onto the beach.
Tamarack State Beach underwent a nourishment project in February 2025, when 400,000 cubic yards of sand were moved from the Agua Hedionda Lagoon to the beach — a project that typically repeats every one to four years since sand drains back into the lagoon over time.
Gary Griggs, a coastal researcher and professor at UC Santa Cruz, told SFGATE that sand replenishment projects are largely a “short-term” fix that won’t fundamentally solve the erosion problem, adding that such projects keep property owners satisfied temporarily but aren’t a long-term solution as the climate continues to change.
California State Parks says it’s now coordinating with coastal engineers and the California Coastal Commission to figure out how to protect the parking lot while limiting further erosion, though no timeline has been given for reopening the closed spaces.
The same swells have caused problems up and down the Southern California coast. Erosion in Malibu recently forced the closure of road access to Point Dume Beach. For now, officials say they’re monitoring conditions closely as the coastline continues to shift under the pressure of the swells.
