Every day, the cliffside of Santa Cruz is filled with surfers, bikers and families. Santa Cruz’s West cliff represents a place where many can go to relax and remove themselves from everyday pressures.
But now, experts say the Santa Cruz cliffs could become more dangerous due to worsening erosion on the coast.
According to Gary Griggs, a distinguished professor of earth and planetary sciences at UC Santa Cruz, the sea level rise and erosion occurring at West Cliff is nothing new. For the past three winters, West Cliff has been continuously impacted by degradation of the coastline. Sections of the cliff below Lighthouse Point have crumbled into the waves below, and just this month, additional chunks of West Cliff collapsed. With such rapid damage, many are fighting to find solutions to maintain the landscape.
Save The Waves Coalition (STW) is an international non-profit organization based in Santa Cruz, focused on protecting coastal areas by using surfing as a mechanism for larger conservation efforts.
In Sept. 2025, the coalition released a study to examine the economic benefits provided by surfers who seek out waves. According to STW, through surf tourism and surf-related equipment and services, the waves contribute about $200 million to the Santa Cruz economy annually. But, as climate change continues to exacerbate natural disasters, threats to the surfing culture and revenue in Santa Cruz are more evident than ever. 
A biker looks into the horizon from West Cliff Drive, as surfers paddle in the water below.
“There’s a lot of people that live here, and there are people that travel hours to surf in Santa Cruz,” said Shaun Burns, reserve network coordinator for STW. “It shows that surfing brings a lot of people together.”
In trying to preserve the community and find a solution to environmental struggles, scientists and city officials have proposed several plans to maintain West Cliff. Some suggested courses of action include sand replenishment or installing a breakwater in order to divert the big waves that collide directly onto the cliffside. However, Griggs claims sand replenishment is a short-sighted solution.
“We could put sand down there in Natural Bridges, but we’re going to starve the beaches down the coast of Capitola,” Griggs said. “I don’t think that’s going to be a solution. One big storm and it’s gone.”
A crowd of surfers catch waves in Steamer Lane as the sun sets on Monterey Bay.
For many students, the potential loss of West Cliff is more than an environmental concern. West Cliff is an escape for those who find peace and solace in the natural atmosphere the environment provides.
“West Cliff has a special place in my heart,” said Kiersten Waters, a fourth-year legal studies and intensive psychology major. “It would be a great loss if, because of coastal erosion, it was no longer something the people of Santa Cruz could enjoy.”
While students and residents feel a deep connection to West Cliff, finding a solution on how to protect the area proves to be a complex problem.
“There’s not one right answer,” Shaun Burns said. “Everyone loves Santa Cruz and West Cliff, and so it’s a very passionate problem. I’d like Santa Cruz to try something new and not just go with the hard approach of armory or a managed retreat.”
