Spouting Off: Water Spouts off the San Diego Coast!

It was a fine day for a jaunt to the coast from our new mountain retreat…beautiful blue sky flaunting itself overhead, while encircling the

Water Spout / Photo Courtesy of the Fabulous Rachael G

horizon of Encinitas were billowing puffy clouds; California showing off, as usual.  But as we crested the hill we noticed several cone shapes in the cloudbank over the ocean, pointing down!… Some were spear shaped and looked like tornadoes.  Not the norm for San Diego – or California for that matter. I’ve lived on this coast nearly all my life and have never seen anything like this…one rogue funnel cloud perhaps – but seven in a line up?  Never. Who says there is no climate change?

We drove quickly down to Moonlight beach and joined the masses gathered to gawk, open-jawed. The fire department guys even showed up in

their engine to join the crowd and view the spectacle.
These were water spouts, a stunning sight…the longest spears were connecting with the ocean and we could actually see the spinning spray pulling up from the water’s surface like something out of a Hollywood blockbuster – whirling upwards, thousands of feet into the sky. Had we a telephoto lens I imagine we may have seen schools of anchovies going for an unwilling ride.

I hope the pictures capture some of the magic…they are courtesy of my friend Rachael and her iPhone readiness.
We thought it very auspicious that we were graced by this rare and awe-inspiring display on a random day trip to the coast.