Coastal Oral History Project

Establishing a Baseline

Our understanding of how the coast and all of its associated places and resources will change in the future is predicated on an understanding of how they have changed in the past. For some resources, the best source of insight into how they have changed is the experiences of those who have lived with them. For waves in California, we are seeking surfers with deep knowledge willing to share their experiences with the California coast. With this, we can begin the project of establishing a baseline of wave resource quality. From this baseline, we can understand and better predict the future of our coast.

Update In collaboration with Dr. Todd Holmes, curator of UC Berkeley's Bancroft Oral History Libraries California Coastal Project, our first case study will be Surfers Point in Ventura, CA. Our interest is in the evolution of the coast and surf from the top of the point down to the pier, the effects of various coastal management actions (e.g., managed retreat, beach nourishment, etc.), and if/whether/how changes on the coast along the point have affected waves, surfing, and surfers in Ventura. We are seeking to conduct oral history interviews (recorded, 1-3 hour conversations) with local experts, experienced surfers, and individuals with deep knowledge of the coast and surf at Surfers Point.

If you are interested, please send an email to dan dot reineman at csuci dot edu.

This research is covered under a CSUCI Institutional Review Board protocol #IO5442.