@staceymichaels9530 not too far away from posting more videos than before currently working on fresh new videos and I can’t wait to put them out. I miss you ALL , interacting in the comment section is like hanging out with my best friends, thank you for reaching out AND I’LL SEE YOU ON THE NEXT VIDEO!!!
When I was studying Geology in college in California, in 1983, we discussed the hazards in Pacifica. The view of our professor and the authors of our textbooks were that most of Pacifica is doomed. It is built on sandstone that used to be the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Just inland is the San Andreas Fault. The land that the town is on is on the Pacific Plate. It is moving north with the rest of the Plate, toward the Golden Gate. The earthquake activity on the fault makes the sandstone crack and become unstable. It is easy for the waves to erode the cracked sandstone. Long before the town is covered by the water at the Golden Gate, it will fall down into the Pacific surf. There is no way to stop it from happening. Great video, Leo. I think it should be used in CSU & UC Geology and Engineering classes, showing why city planners need to pay attention to scientists. It seldom happens, but It should.
Thank you for sharing this data. What a pity the city planners do not want to hear it. And what`s the deal with the sea view? It`s flat water. There are plenty of sceneries with and without water that are beautiful, and make sense. Fancy a swim? No can do...A motor home just won.
When I lived in Pacifica I fell in love with a house on the cliffs (before they started falling into the ocean). It had a hot tub on a huge deck with big glass windows to watch the sunset and the fog roll in. It looked safe because there were huge boulders up the side of the cliff to prevent erosion. Omg it was so beautiful! I tried really hard to buy it but in the end it was just too expensive. A year later there was a picture in the local paper of the deck and hot tub hanging off the cliff. The boulders were washed away. I was so sad to see it like that, but so glad I wasn’t able to afford it!
Had a similar experience. Was in escrow on an oceanfront place in Lahaina, Maui twenty years ago. It fell out of escrow, meaning, I did not get it. This past August, it burned down in our terrible fire. If that had not happened, the rising ocean would have got it in the next ten years.
Great footage, thank you! I lived in Pacifica from 1999-2006. IN fact, used to walk on the path near the 'nice flats' you showed, even looked at renting one of the flats. The paths used to be much further from the houses, and there used to be a band stand quite far from the flats. All gone now. At the time, just before 1999, around 10 houses near the post office were demolished because they were considered unsafe. It would be great to see photographs over the years comparing how far out the constructions used to go.
Thank you Leo for the footage. Mother Nature is in charge. Personally, I can't imagine living in one of these homes, and pre-occupied with daily thoughts of my home sliding into the ocean.
People are stupid, especially rich people. They want to live up high, I don't know what the attraction is, maybe they like to look down upon us, lol. It's like the clowns who buy these apartments in super slim buildings. Who would want to live in a building that sways in the wind, and creaks and groans all night. Not for me I'm afraid, I'll stick to a 4 bedroom/ 2 bathroom house, with a backyard.
I wouldn't even walk on that sidewalk. I saw a video of boaters near a high cliff made of solid hard rock. A huge piece of from top to bottom peeled off and tipped over, so long it crushed the front of a boat that was in use at the time.
Great footage Leo! I used to live on Esplanade Ave in one of the apartment buildings that's no longer there (from 2005 - 2007). I left a few years before the apartments were CLOSED. In the two years I was there, the sea wall lost 10-15 feet. When I left, sea wall was about 8' from the edge of my patio. I loved living on the cliff so close to the waves. Luckily for me I was a renter and could leave when I needed to. It was fun while it lasted and I will probably never get to live that close to the ocean ever again so it was totally worth it. ✌️
The property seen in grey color was hundreds of feet from edge of cliff not long ago.. Maybe 25 years. I saw it listed in Pacifica not but 5 years ago and some of the patio/yard was gone.. you can maybe look it the listing on the Way Back Machine, that "nautical style" yard was three or four times the size..was huge. Now about to fall hone and all. The erosion has kicked it up many levels..
Thanks very much for taking the time and making the effort to keep us informed of what's happening. I'm astonished at the changes to the entire SF area!
Basic point of reality to remember, people: a coast with cliffs is, BY DEFINITION, an eroding coastline! How rapidly it erodes back will be determined by what's underneath - granite, or sediments. Most of the California coast south of San Francisco is underlain by weakly consolidated (at most) sediments, or sedimentary "rocks" not much more resistant than a hard dirt cod. Pacifica is a great case in point - mostly sediments that were beach deposits maybe 125,000 years ago (no time at all, geologically). Hit them with these big storm waves, and you should expect them to falter. That's where much of the sand and gravel on the beaches comes from!
Pacifica is a lovely little coastal community. It is very sad to see folks losing their homes, but unfortunately, it’s been happening for decades and will continue to do so. If it isn’t one form of Mother Nature it’s another; a cousin of mine and her fiancé lost their first home during the horrible fire in Paradise, CA. Her grandmother, my aunt, had to leave her home at the age of 85 when the Oroville Dam causeway gave in a few years back. Her house was directly in the path of the river that was threatening to flood the area. People need to stop blaming other people because of where they live. It’s like blaming the people who live in Tornado Alley for rebuilding in the same threatened area. They do so because of their jobs, or family history, or any other number of reasons we each choose a place to live. People throughout the world live in areas where natural disasters happen. Mother Nature will have her way.
Great video. In the 1980s and 90s I used to surf right in front of where those three apartments used to be, and some of my surf buddies lived in them. We used to sit on our boards watching small pieces of those bluffs falling down but never dreamed they would collapse entirely. The ocean always wins no matter what.
Also those people in Pacifica who live near those bluff cliffs in their 3 to 5 million dollar homes should know the risks involved, I would never live there! I hope they have good home/cliff insurance!
Great coverage, Leo. You do a wonderful job of video blogging our Bay Area conditions, from natural erosion to Urban Blight. Our local news channels should use your footage on their networks. It's better than their own!
Leo, thanks for revisiting this section of Pacifica, even though you had a video about it just two years ago. The destruction here is tremendous!! Like I stated before, those sea cliffs are 100% beach sand, so it is only a matter of time before they collapse. And those two houses that you showed. I saw them. It was the craziest thing. They were both sitting on a tiny single square piece of land. One side connected to the street, while the other three sides fell directly to the ocean!
@mikeifyouplease you are one of the very few that have seen that video from two years ago. Things have changed since then and there’s a lot less bluff now ,Thank you very much for sharing.
When little we lived along a very small river less than 50’ wide. Woke up one morning to 3’ of water outside, got out by boat. When water drained, half of our property had washed away. Nature always stacks the deck.
Thank you, Leo, for this disturbing view of how quickly Pacifica is being gobbled up by the sea! In my estimation, there is no doubt that the ocean will triumph over any sea wall erected to stave off her relentless encroachment!
Amazing to see and amazing that people are still there, that close. Growing up in the Bay Area, there have always been stories of something sliding into the sea there. Sad but not uncommon.
I miss my old house on the south side of Manor. The ocean and mountain views were fabulous. The wind/salt/fog damage to the house was not. The airplane noise sucked.
They will lose their property. They will not be able to sell as who would buy land that is getting eaten by the ocean. Insurance will not cover the loss. You might be able to claim the loss on tax year. But that will be not much. Maybe they will sue the ocean?? :P
Thank you for posting this. I have seen that house, the one with the dollar signs, on other videos but never knew that it used to be a radio station. It is very nice to know more of the history of this area.
This looks like my neighborhood. They've had to move 7-8 houses off the bluff so far. Our bluff has receded at least 150' since I moved here in '95. I'm a block away from the bluff. At the rate it's receding, I figure in another 10-15 years I'll have a great view and ocean front property. Hehehe
I was born and raised in the 50/60's at Southern California - this activity has been happening in this area for many decades, for many seasons. Still building, still held in high regard by the "rich and famous " -foolishness. ( I especially recall the Pacific Pallisades,as they were called then, a place more southern and near Santa Monica.)
John Stossel just did a video on how federal funds are used to insure those homes because private insurance deems it too risky. So basically you and I payout for the stupidity of building so close to the edge.
In other words, "we're" bailing out another risky speculative venture. How is this any different from all the other bailouts ever since Alan Greenspan created derivatives?
Erosion is affecting all of our coastlines. Scary! Why would someone want to live that close to the ocean? I fear the ocean. It's pretty to look at, but I wouldn't want to live there. Thanks for the videos. Every time they put in another post, it weakens the cliff! A few years back, from Google Earth, it looked like someone took a black marker and drew a line around the coast. That black line is gone now. Wonder if that made things erode faster?
It seems to progress rather quickly for mere tectonics, but the availability of soil additives, and decades of watered lawns trickling to clay substrates, could have sped things.
Great shots Metal Leo! You never fail to impress. Can you imagine walking out and thinking, "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY POOL!!!???? That land is expensive until it's gone. Those people had bragging rights for a while.
California has a number of eroding sandstone cliffs below homes that have already been destroyed or will eventually be red-tagged. Pacific Palisades, Palos Verdes and Laguna Beach have examples of this in the LA area.
The cliffs down in the San Diego area, Luecadia, Solana Beach have the same problems. I used to walk the beaches in the 90’s and all the houses on top of the cliffs were trying to stop the erosion. Each one had a different type of construction to try and stop it, concrete, poles, rocks, etc. Each one kept washing away.
I visited my uncle in the mid-70s (he lived in Pacific Palisades) and I still remember looking up at a row of houses that were overhanging the eroding cliff above the highway along the ocean (I was only 10yo).
You’re welcome. In the Palisades, the homes on the west edge of the hill west of the Getty Center are all sliding to the point they don’t even try to maintain solid cement driveways. The cliff just west of the high school is fenced off. The Huntington cliff east of downtown has lost beautiful homes and others cannot be sold. Big Rock in Malibu, Bluebird Canyon in Laguna and Portuguese Bend in Rancho PV all have homes in slide areas, @@LeoMetalTraveler
These people seem to lack common sense. Who would buy a property that close to a cliff? It must be very distressing to realise that your house is worth nothing.
This is interesting as I once lived in Pacific in the early 1980s. When I left & went to the East Bay Area Condos were being built on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Back in the day in the mid 1980s the condos were starting at $80K for a small one. I wanted to live there but my salary was enough to qualify. They sure looked nice. Probably taken away by the ocean.
I lived in Pacifica 1963-1968. In the summer we would spend a lot of time at the beach. We kidded about the ocean taking out the entire town. At the time it was total fantasy. Now…maybe not a fantasy…
I’ve watched a lot of the videos on Pacifica, but I have really enjoyed your video more than a lot of the others. Thank you for the background information and showing the photos from Zillow of the homes and lots before the erosion. It’s very interesting to see the before and after. It really puts it in perspective to see how much damage the erosion has done. My heart goes out to these home owners.
I wouldn’t even walk along where you’re walking. I couldn’t sleep in any of those houses or apartments . I don’t know how they can and I don’t understand why they do. Yikes!
thanks for this very informative video. the photography of the eroding bluffs is scary to see. I have lived in Pacifica for 60 years, and have witnessed this erosion as the years go by. you are correct that we are only another big storm away for more houses to sink into the sea.
When built and until the cliff erosion required neighbor buildings to be torn down, the apartments (condos) along the trail used to be called Land's End. Now they are called Ocean Aire.
Your great drone footage really reinforces how precarious the situation is in Pacifica. Thank you for all your hard work, my Friend. ❤😍 I miss seeing you and am looking forward to your new videos once they are ready. 😉
When I saw the title to this video I wasn’t going to watch it - California falling into the sea is no news. But when I saw it was a Metal Leo video , now that’s different! Jumped right on it! Keep up the good work Leo!.
Gorgeous scenery, you did a fantastic job shooting this video! People are so stupid in their greed to own the best view! Don't even feel sorry for them!
Last year, we almost moved into a unit you showed with the drone. By divine intervention, my husband got an unexpected opportunity in Chicago and we came here instead. I am in shock watching this video. And Leo, please stay safe. ❤
@5:32 you should have included the Costal Erosion and Public Access plaque in your video so viewers could see what it said. Would planting trees along the edge stabilize the cliff? Thanks for the effort.
Thank you so much for these wonderful videos. I am in the unenviable position of being the City Council Representative for this vulnerable section of Pacifica. I have forwarded your very helpful videos to our city manager. I also encourage people to read California Against the Sea by Rosanna Xia. Chapter 3 is all about Pacifica, and tells well the story of our divided community - do we fight or plan for the inevitable, can we find a compromise path forward? Huge expense and huge loss either way, and of course we have no money. We really need the state and federal government to step in.
In some places, we built too close to the ocean. Isn't there one street in Daly City up on the cliffs where a lot of the homes had to be demolished a few decades ago? Half the street fell into the ocean. Edit: Its on Skyline
@@LeoMetalTraveler Leo, you can actually get the original land plot maps, and then compare them to Google maps...to see how much larger the Pacific Palisades area (of Daly City) used to be. Or if you have the time, you can drive there. It is a very small area of town, but seeing it yourself will be a real eye-opener! Decades ago (when I lived in the area) I used to think that if you had a really strong spoon, you could bring down the homes that were 100 feet up taller than the beach, because the sand on the beach, was the exact same sand that the cliffs were composed of.
Are there any photos or maps that show how much more land there was when the buildings were built? I’m annoyed at people who criticize but don’t know the history of the area.
I was driving down skyline just last month during sunset and it was a beautiful sight but then thought about erosion and how living on a cliff sucks. Flowing Water can pretty much destroy anything given enough time. Oddly I never ventured along that area and didn't even know it existed. Was telling my wife that we should go there sometime to watch the sunset together.
@@suzannebenning2555 What has the history got to do with it? If you build near a cliff edge, you should know that it will eventually be back in the ocean. There isn't a piece of land that meets the ocean that hasn't gone this way eventually. I would never build or buy anywhere near a cliff edge (and I live on an island).
Great video... Thanks... My sister lived in walking distance of the ocean there in Pacifica... Its truly a beautiful place... So sorry this is happening... Can't find Mother.
Thank you Leo. It’s so beautiful and I fully understand what draws people to want to live there. But there comes a time when other less hazardous options might be considered? ❤❤
My husband and I worked for Land’s End (before the name change to Ocean Air) from 2011-2016! Long ago there used to be a huge waterfront with a gazebo where people got married. I have a picture somewhere showing a huge grassy area in front of Lands End. Mother Nature wins! At some point they are going to have to demo buildings 112.
Interesting enough. I lived the the Pacific skies Trailer park as a teenager. I graduated from Oceana HS in 1971. And the trailer park still looks the same. People wher falling off the Cliffs in Manor back then. It's a Pacifica way of life.
From 1998-2000, I rented an apartment at Land's End on the north side of Pacifica. Even at that time, bricks and bits of roofing and flooring could be found on the beach from homes that had slipped. But what a privilege it was to live with an ocean view, a small grassy park and a wooden stairway to the beach! It breaks my heart that, if I go back, I won't be able to show my travel companion what it was like to live there. The ocean will claim all that was built a quarter-mile -- maybe more -- back from it.
Wow, I have been watching Pacifica disappear for at least 6 years. I found drone footage when the cement stairs were first cordoned off. I always loved that last townhouse at the end of the foot path. It's so sad. I hope I can get down to CA sometime to visit that lovely town.
@ 3:45 in your video, I lived in those apartments from 2014 to 2017, unbelievable how much has eroded in just a few years. I did love living there, never needed A/C, the sound of the ocean, and the amazing views. Totally unsafe now.
Is it really because of rising sea levels? I'm not doubting the cliffs are eroding but have they measured that the sea level in that are have actually risen? I would definitely move out, but not sure there are any apartments to move to.
Those bluffs are made of soft sandstone. Sandstone is so soft, you can scrape it away with just your fingers. The high tides and large waves of Winter have been eroding these cliffs since the beginning of time.
Twelve homes were constructed in 1949 at the top of a sea cliff along Esplanade Drive in the City of Pacifica, located on the northern coast of San Mateo County, California. The rear yards of those properties were bounded by an approximately 20-meter (70-foot) high cliff that has retreated episodically at an average rate of 0.5 to 0.6 meter (1.5 to 2 feet) per year over the past 146 years.
If you eat lunch on the beach...check the bluffs above you. A woman was buried when part of the bluff came down. I fish the surf, and a nice big log away from the bluffs makes a nice lunch or snack spot. :) Could you next video be taken from higher altitude so we can know the spots you're looking at in context of landmarks? I just started fishing there and I am still learning the area.
Amazing footage, what a stunningly gorgeous local! Are you filming with the drone, yourself? I can’t imagine getting a good night’s sleep, let alone ever relaxing much at all, in those apartments on the edge, there. The parking lot had several vehicles, are there still tenants living in that complex? Unbelievable, if so, imo, because it’s basically already gone. Also, I’m wondering how did the previous owner of the house that was originally a 1920s historic radio station manage to sell the property? Are the buyers going to move it elsewhere? Even if it weren’t aggressively crumbling into the sea, it would be scary living and hanging out _right_ on those magnificent, but, imo, absolutely terrifying cliffs high above that beautifully blue, roiling surf😱! I’m a chicken , especially when it comes to heights, I guess~🐔
Leo!!! Where are You?
@staceymichaels9530 not too far away from posting more videos than before currently working on fresh new videos and I can’t wait to put them out. I miss you ALL , interacting in the comment section is like hanging out with my best friends, thank you for reaching out AND I’LL SEE YOU ON THE NEXT VIDEO!!!
@@LeoMetalTraveler I absolutely LOVE Your videos. Thank You, Leo🎆
Thank you @staceymichaels9530 I appreciate you and your feedback!
Very cool videos, censured topics and funny one liners.
On earth
When I was studying Geology in college in California, in 1983, we discussed the hazards in Pacifica. The view of our professor and the authors of our textbooks were that most of Pacifica is doomed. It is built on sandstone that used to be the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Just inland is the San Andreas Fault. The land that the town is on is on the Pacific Plate. It is moving north with the rest of the Plate, toward the Golden Gate. The earthquake activity on the fault makes the sandstone crack and become unstable. It is easy for the waves to erode the cracked sandstone. Long before the town is covered by the water at the Golden Gate, it will fall down into the Pacific surf. There is no way to stop it from happening. Great video, Leo. I think it should be used in CSU & UC Geology and Engineering classes, showing why city planners need to pay attention to scientists. It seldom happens, but It should.
GOOD REPLY, AND DATA SAD, TO SEE HAPPEN, PLANNERS ONLY THINK ABOUT MONEY TO BE MADE
Nature always takes back what’s hers, in the end.
Thank you for sharing this data. What a pity the city planners do not want to hear it. And what`s the deal with the sea view? It`s flat water. There are plenty of sceneries with and without water that are beautiful, and make sense. Fancy a swim? No can do...A motor home just won.
Crazy all that sand in backyard
REMEMBER WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT BUILDING YOUR HOUSE UPON SAND.....@@coletrick8748
When I lived in Pacifica I fell in love with a house on the cliffs (before they started falling into the ocean). It had a hot tub on a huge deck with big glass windows to watch the sunset and the fog roll in. It looked safe because there were huge boulders up the side of the cliff to prevent erosion. Omg it was so beautiful! I tried really hard to buy it but in the end it was just too expensive. A year later there was a picture in the local paper of the deck and hot tub hanging off the cliff. The boulders were washed away. I was so sad to see it like that, but so glad I wasn’t able to afford it!
Phew!!! Out in the Nick-o-time.
Had a similar experience. Was in escrow on an oceanfront place in Lahaina, Maui twenty years ago. It fell out of escrow, meaning, I did not get it. This past August, it burned down in our terrible fire. If that had not happened, the rising ocean would have got it in the next ten years.
@@Cherrysmith2809 God Bless You and the People of Maui.
@@staceymichaels9530 💛 Thank you so much.
@@Cherrysmith2809 You’re welcome and with Love🙏🏼🙏🏽🙏🏽
Great footage, thank you! I lived in Pacifica from 1999-2006. IN fact, used to walk on the path near the 'nice flats' you showed, even looked at renting one of the flats. The paths used to be much further from the houses, and there used to be a band stand quite far from the flats. All gone now. At the time, just before 1999, around 10 houses near the post office were demolished because they were considered unsafe. It would be great to see photographs over the years comparing how far out the constructions used to go.
Thank you Leo for the footage. Mother Nature is in charge. Personally, I can't imagine living in one of these homes, and pre-occupied with daily thoughts of my home sliding into the ocean.
Well said, every night just a drift would be concerning
People are stupid, especially rich people. They want to live up high, I don't know what the attraction is, maybe they like to look down upon us, lol. It's like the clowns who buy these apartments in super slim buildings. Who would want to live in a building that sways in the wind, and creaks and groans all night. Not for me I'm afraid, I'll stick to a 4 bedroom/ 2 bathroom house, with a backyard.
That adage about not building on sand is true. Those cliffs aren't rock but are compacted sand and dirt.
Limestone!
Is that right? Limestone? I really don't know.😊
Sure look like sand to me too. Limestone is light gray, not sand colored. @@OMNIDON2000
pretty poor limestone, look crumbly as heck..
I wouldn't even walk on that sidewalk. I saw a video of boaters near a high cliff made of solid hard rock. A huge piece of from top to bottom peeled off and tipped over, so long it crushed the front of a boat that was in use at the time.
Great footage Leo! I used to live on Esplanade Ave in one of the apartment buildings that's no longer there (from 2005 - 2007). I left a few years before the apartments were CLOSED. In the two years I was there, the sea wall lost 10-15 feet. When I left, sea wall was about 8' from the edge of my patio. I loved living on the cliff so close to the waves. Luckily for me I was a renter and could leave when I needed to. It was fun while it lasted and I will probably never get to live that close to the ocean ever again so it was totally worth it. ✌️
You left in time, but 8 feet is cutting it pretty close. I’m sure every day living there was exciting. Thank you for sharing.
That musta been cool. Hearing sea lions and all the marine life. Bet awesome cold water snorkeling there too
What was it like when there were any earthquakes and tremors while living there? Yikes!😱
People who are flush with cash will buy places like this
The property seen in grey color was hundreds of feet from edge of cliff not long ago.. Maybe 25 years. I saw it listed in Pacifica not but 5 years ago and some of the patio/yard was gone.. you can maybe look it the listing on the Way Back Machine, that "nautical style" yard was three or four times the size..was huge. Now about to fall hone and all. The erosion has kicked it up many levels..
Thanks very much for taking the time and making the effort to keep us informed of what's happening. I'm astonished at the changes to the entire SF area!
You and me both!
Shouldn't we be blaming global warming, or something? just kidding
Basic point of reality to remember, people: a coast with cliffs is, BY DEFINITION, an eroding coastline! How rapidly it erodes back will be determined by what's underneath - granite, or sediments. Most of the California coast south of San Francisco is underlain by weakly consolidated (at most) sediments, or sedimentary "rocks" not much more resistant than a hard dirt cod. Pacifica is a great case in point - mostly sediments that were beach deposits maybe 125,000 years ago (no time at all, geologically). Hit them with these big storm waves, and you should expect them to falter. That's where much of the sand and gravel on the beaches comes from!
Pacifica is a lovely little coastal community. It is very sad to see folks losing their homes, but unfortunately, it’s been happening for decades and will continue to do so. If it isn’t one form of Mother Nature it’s another; a cousin of mine and her fiancé lost their first home during the horrible fire in Paradise, CA. Her grandmother, my aunt, had to leave her home at the age of 85 when the Oroville Dam causeway gave in a few years back. Her house was directly in the path of the river that was threatening to flood the area. People need to stop blaming other people because of where they live. It’s like blaming the people who live in Tornado Alley for rebuilding in the same threatened area. They do so because of their jobs, or family history, or any other number of reasons we each choose a place to live. People throughout the world live in areas where natural disasters happen. Mother Nature will have her way.
Great video. In the 1980s and 90s I used to surf right in front of where those three apartments used to be, and some of my surf buddies lived in them. We used to sit on our boards watching small pieces of those bluffs falling down but never dreamed they would collapse entirely. The ocean always wins no matter what.
Brilliant drone footage, man! Wow!
Thanks
Thank you ML. You give information we can’t get anywhere else. Such a sad situation for the property owners.
No doubt
Thank you for this update! I’ve been following the story of the apartments and houses on these cliffs for the past 6 years.
Mother nature always wins.
Your really upping your game brother, especially with the drone footage. Your videos keep getting better and better, keep up the good work!
Also those people in Pacifica who live near those bluff cliffs in their 3 to 5 million dollar homes should know the risks involved, I would never live there! I hope they have good home/cliff insurance!
Thanks! Will do!
Great coverage, Leo. You do a wonderful job of video blogging our Bay Area conditions, from natural erosion to Urban Blight. Our local news channels should use your footage on their networks. It's better than their own!
@asaprocky8195 thank you for your support!
Leo, thanks for revisiting this section of Pacifica, even though you had a video about it just two years ago. The destruction here is tremendous!! Like I stated before, those sea cliffs are 100% beach sand, so it is only a matter of time before they collapse. And those two houses that you showed. I saw them. It was the craziest thing. They were both sitting on a tiny single square piece of land. One side connected to the street, while the other three sides fell directly to the ocean!
@mikeifyouplease you are one of the very few that have seen that video from two years ago. Things have changed since then and there’s a lot less bluff now ,Thank you very much for sharing.
Thank you for the great video and narrative. 😊
Thank you too!
When little we lived along a very small river less than 50’ wide. Woke up one morning to 3’ of water outside, got out by boat. When water drained, half of our property had washed away. Nature always stacks the deck.
OMG was this from this last big wave event and all the rain we've had? Whoa! Great footage, how scary! Thank you.❤
That would scare the shit out of me if my house was there. Yikes!!!!
Thank you, Leo, for this disturbing view of how quickly Pacifica is being gobbled up by the sea! In my estimation, there is no doubt that the ocean will triumph over any sea wall erected to stave off her relentless encroachment!
Amazing to see and amazing that people are still there, that close. Growing up in the Bay Area, there have always been stories of something sliding into the sea there. Sad but not uncommon.
Your videos are really good.
I appreciate that!
I agree, thx Leo. u da man!
@@LeoMetalTraveler For rent.....Good luck with that...gets me every time.
I lived in Pacifica 20 years ago and even back then you could see this coming. Chit Chat Cafe anyone?
I moved out in 2004. I lived uphill on Manor Drive. I miss the views but that’s all.
I miss my old house on the south side of Manor. The ocean and mountain views were fabulous. The wind/salt/fog damage to the house was not. The airplane noise sucked.
That place is not long for this world….great coffee tho’!
Imagine if you’re stuck in one of those homes, you’re not going to be able to sell your property.
Exactly
But you're still paying a mortgage and property taxes.
Maybe the property taxes gets lower as the area shrinks?
@jakeforrest That's an approach I hadn't thought of. Lol
They will lose their property. They will not be able to sell as who would buy land that is getting eaten by the ocean. Insurance will not cover the loss. You might be able to claim the loss on tax year. But that will be not much.
Maybe they will sue the ocean?? :P
Thank you for posting this. I have seen that house, the one with the dollar signs, on other videos but never knew that it used to be a radio station. It is very nice to know more of the history of this area.
Glad it was helpful!
Beautiful drone footage. Thanks.
Stunning footage. California is breathtaking and totally different (way more spectacular )than the East coast. ❤
Your videos are incredible, including the ones documenting all of the closed stores. Nature's beauty with human folly. Thank You!!!
So nice of you I will post more videos soon ,thank you
😮😮😮Oh my gosh, I would be worried living in one of those houses! Great drone footage!
You and me both! Thank you for your support!
@@LeoMetalTraveler you are welcome! 🙏🙏
This looks like my neighborhood.
They've had to move 7-8 houses off the bluff so far. Our bluff has receded at least 150' since I moved here in '95.
I'm a block away from the bluff. At the rate it's receding, I figure in another 10-15 years I'll have a great view and ocean front property. Hehehe
Thanks for sharing. What city is this?
@@LeoMetalTraveler
I'm between Sequim & Port Angeles in Washington State.
Thank you for all the great coverage!
Any time!
Thank you, Leo. Seeing our California fall isn’t quite as horrible with you at my side.
I was born and raised in the 50/60's at Southern California - this activity has been happening in this area for many decades, for many seasons. Still building, still held in high regard by the "rich and famous " -foolishness. ( I especially recall the Pacific Pallisades,as they were called then, a place more southern and near Santa Monica.)
John Stossel just did a video on how federal funds are used to insure those homes because private insurance deems it too risky. So basically you and I payout for the stupidity of building so close to the edge.
In other words, "we're" bailing out another risky speculative venture. How is this any different from all the other bailouts ever since Alan Greenspan created derivatives?
please link.
Erosion is affecting all of our coastlines. Scary! Why would someone want to live that close to the ocean? I fear the ocean. It's pretty to look at, but I wouldn't want to live there. Thanks for the videos. Every time they put in another post, it weakens the cliff! A few years back, from Google Earth, it looked like someone took a black marker and drew a line around the coast. That black line is gone now. Wonder if that made things erode faster?
It seems to progress rather quickly for mere tectonics, but the availability of soil additives, and decades of watered lawns trickling to clay substrates, could have sped things.
Great shots Metal Leo! You never fail to impress. Can you imagine walking out and thinking, "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY POOL!!!???? That land is expensive
until it's gone. Those people had bragging rights for a while.
And I wager the property tax will go UP for less property, its California after all.
California has a number of eroding sandstone cliffs below homes that have already been destroyed or will eventually be red-tagged. Pacific Palisades, Palos Verdes and Laguna Beach have examples of this in the LA area.
I’m going to have to be visit the LA area Thanks for sharing.
The cliffs down in the San Diego area, Luecadia, Solana Beach have the same problems. I used to walk the beaches in the 90’s and all the houses on top of the cliffs were trying to stop the erosion. Each one had a different type of construction to try and stop it, concrete, poles, rocks, etc. Each one kept washing away.
I visited my uncle in the mid-70s (he lived in Pacific Palisades) and I still remember looking up at a row of houses that were overhanging the eroding cliff above the highway along the ocean (I was only 10yo).
@@LeoMetalTraveler Portuguese Bend being the most notorious.
Grew up right down the road in Pedro.
Now a 26 year resident of the Coastside.
You’re welcome. In the Palisades, the homes on the west edge of the hill west of the Getty Center are all sliding to the point they don’t even try to maintain solid cement driveways. The cliff just west of the high school is fenced off. The Huntington cliff east of downtown has lost beautiful homes and others cannot be sold. Big Rock in Malibu, Bluebird Canyon in Laguna and Portuguese Bend in Rancho PV all have homes in slide areas, @@LeoMetalTraveler
Excellent drone footage of the coastal erosion thank you! I think geological models of coastal erosion rates might need adjustment….
These people seem to lack common sense. Who would buy a property that close to a cliff? It must be very distressing to realise that your house is worth nothing.
No, they believe they're entitled to build wherever they want. But nature ALWAYS has the last say!
It's beautiful to see..Same shizits here in Florida when the big Canes come..😂
Ocean View 🤪
For some folks, the desire to have a room-with-a-view, clearly ended up being much more expensive than it was worth.
I believe Federal money insures those homes. So why not have a nice home close to the cliff?
This is interesting as I once lived in Pacific in the early 1980s. When I left & went to the East Bay Area Condos were being built on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Back in the day in the mid 1980s the condos were starting at $80K for a small one. I wanted to live there but my salary was enough to qualify. They sure looked nice. Probably taken away by the ocean.
I lived in Pacifica 1963-1968. In the summer we would spend a lot of time at the beach. We kidded about the ocean taking out the entire town. At the time it was total fantasy. Now…maybe not a fantasy…
@@UTubeQu1che551 Nope - still a fantasy.
East Manor, East Sharp Park, East Fairway Park, Vallemar, Rockaway, BoV?
Not going anywhere.
I can't even imagine what the home owners insurance is yearly 😮
PROBABLY CAN NOT GET INSURANCE THESE DAYS , TO RISKY
It’s cheap, actually. They just don’t cover flood / erosion. Most people in California have no earthquake insurance either.
Wow amazing . I live at the beach here in Smyrna Delaware . We tend to get coastal erosion as well. But not this bad.
Thanks for sharing!
Spectacular narrative. Well done. Thank you.
Thank you too!
Great Video Leo
@nancymcnally1972 thank you ! More to come!
I’ve watched a lot of the videos on Pacifica, but I have really enjoyed your video more than a lot of the others. Thank you for the background information and showing the photos from Zillow of the homes and lots before the erosion. It’s very interesting to see the before and after. It really puts it in perspective to see how much damage the erosion has done. My heart goes out to these home owners.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Human arrogance, you can't beat or cheat Mother Nature she's the very definition of an unstoppable force of nature! 👍
Fantastic footages thanks
Thank you too
@@LeoMetalTraveler Professional Video Work
I was trimming a tree on a bluff like that....tied in from above and back , but when i came back the next day the whole area was Gone!
Wow, thank you for sharing. At least you don’t have to worry about trimming anymore.
I wouldn’t even walk along where you’re walking. I couldn’t sleep in any of those houses or apartments . I don’t know how they can and I don’t understand why they do. Yikes!
thanks for this very informative video. the photography of the eroding bluffs is scary to see. I have lived in Pacifica for 60 years, and have witnessed this erosion as the years go by. you are correct that we are only another big storm away for more houses to sink into the sea.
I lived in Pacifica in the 70s.and purely was over looking the bluffs but back then you had to be like 2-300 ft from the cliffs.
Honey have you seen the dog. Hilarious. Thanks Leo
🐕👀😁
When built and until the cliff erosion required neighbor buildings to be torn down, the apartments (condos) along the trail used to be called Land's End. Now they are called Ocean Aire.
Come out to Arizona..I'll sell you some ocean front property and all my exe's live in Texas...
Thank you for sharing.
The beginning of this scared the hell out of me. When u went over that cliff my God. Love your work
@epf888 it looks like I’m peeking over and looking down the cliff, but I did it with the drone😁, thanks for your support!
Reminds me of people who build their homes and businesses on an active volcanic rift, in Iceland's town of Grindavick.
Pretty great fishing there in Pacifica.......Striped Bass in the surf line, and Salmon further offshore. yummie.
Your great drone footage really reinforces how precarious the situation is in Pacifica. Thank you for all your hard work, my Friend. ❤😍 I miss seeing you and am looking forward to your new videos once they are ready. 😉
When I saw the title to this video I wasn’t going to watch it - California falling into the sea is no news. But when I saw it was a Metal Leo video , now that’s different! Jumped right on it! Keep up the good work Leo!.
@502Chevy thank you for your support!!!
Well done! Thank you 💞
Welcome!
I could NEVER relax in those places now on the edge...I would leave during ANY storm.
Gorgeous scenery, you did a fantastic job shooting this video! People are so stupid in their greed to own the best view! Don't even feel sorry for them!
Great ariel footage. 👍
Last year, we almost moved into a unit you showed with the drone. By divine intervention, my husband got an unexpected opportunity in Chicago and we came here instead. I am in shock watching this video. And Leo, please stay safe. ❤
You steered off in the right direction Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for this seriously.
Great coverage,Leo.
@oscarmadison8530 thank you for your continued support!
@5:32 you should have included the Costal Erosion and Public Access plaque in your video so viewers could see what it said.
Would planting trees along the edge stabilize the cliff?
Thanks for the effort.
Saw this erosion happening in Florida as well. Each of the hurricanes eat away at the coastlines. Problem too in the Caribbean.
Ocean wins…
This is wild what’s going on. Interesting video.
Leo, you are a seriously excellent reporter. Much appreciated ❤
Wow, thank you
This is precisely why I will never live near the ocean. Thank you for the upload 👋👋
You’re welcome 😊
Thank you so much for these wonderful videos. I am in the unenviable position of being the City Council Representative for this vulnerable section of Pacifica. I have forwarded your very helpful videos to our city manager. I also encourage people to read California Against the Sea by Rosanna Xia. Chapter 3 is all about Pacifica, and tells well the story of our divided community - do we fight or plan for the inevitable, can we find a compromise path forward? Huge expense and huge loss either way, and of course we have no money. We really need the state and federal government to step in.
This is my favorite video you've done!!! Great work!!!
@sebastiancortez8870 thank you is my favorite video too. I’m going to make more videos like this one.
In some places, we built too close to the ocean. Isn't there one street in Daly City up on the cliffs where a lot of the homes had to be demolished a few decades ago? Half the street fell into the ocean. Edit: Its on Skyline
I’m going to research on that. Thank you for the tip.
@@LeoMetalTraveler Leo, you can actually get the original land plot maps, and then compare them to Google maps...to see how much larger the Pacific Palisades
area (of Daly City) used to be. Or if you have the time, you can drive there. It is a very small area of town, but seeing it yourself will be a real eye-opener!
Decades ago (when I lived in the area) I used to think that if you had a really strong spoon, you could bring down the homes that were 100 feet up taller than the beach, because the sand on the beach, was the exact same sand that the cliffs were composed of.
Are there any photos or maps that show how much more land there was when the buildings were built? I’m annoyed at people who criticize but don’t know the history of the area.
I was driving down skyline just last month during sunset and it was a beautiful sight but then thought about erosion and how living on a cliff sucks. Flowing Water can pretty much destroy anything given enough time.
Oddly I never ventured along that area and didn't even know it existed. Was telling my wife that we should go there sometime to watch the sunset together.
@@suzannebenning2555 What has the history got to do with it? If you build near a cliff edge, you should know that it will eventually be back in the ocean. There isn't a piece of land that meets the ocean that hasn't gone this way eventually. I would never build or buy anywhere near a cliff edge (and I live on an island).
Same thing happens in a number of places in the UK
👏👏👏 Excellent update! Thank you!
Always, you’re welcome
Great video... Thanks... My sister lived in walking distance of the ocean there in Pacifica... Its truly a beautiful place... So sorry this is happening... Can't find Mother.
Thanks Leo a real eye opener.
Thank you Leo. It’s so beautiful and I fully understand what draws people to want to live there. But there comes a time when other less hazardous options might be considered? ❤❤
So true!
Excellent video, thanks Leo
Is there anything left of the RV park built on the cliff edge at the north end of town? A video I saw a year ago showed it was half washed away.
The houses were probably not near the edge when they bought them. The cliffs have gradually eroded and they have been eaten away by nature .
My husband and I worked for Land’s End (before the name change to Ocean Air) from 2011-2016! Long ago there used to be a huge waterfront with a gazebo where people got married. I have a picture somewhere showing a huge grassy area in front of Lands End. Mother Nature wins! At some point they are going to have to demo buildings 112.
Never knew the name changed!! Am in the Sunset.
Was the gazebo removed due to erosion?
excellent video
Thank you very much!
Excellent video, METAL LEO. Great photography with the drone.
Thank you, I appreciate your support
Wow. Like so many ppl; 1 storm away of falling off the cliff. Brutal....
Interesting enough. I lived the the Pacific skies Trailer park as a teenager. I graduated from Oceana HS in 1971. And the trailer park still looks the same. People wher falling off the Cliffs in Manor back then. It's a Pacifica way of life.
It sure is , thank you for sharing!
From 1998-2000, I rented an apartment at Land's End on the north side of Pacifica. Even at that time, bricks and bits of roofing and flooring could be found on the beach from homes that had slipped. But what a privilege it was to live with an ocean view, a small grassy park and a wooden stairway to the beach! It breaks my heart that, if I go back, I won't be able to show my travel companion what it was like to live there. The ocean will claim all that was built a quarter-mile -- maybe more -- back from it.
Wow, I have been watching Pacifica disappear for at least 6 years. I found drone footage when the cement stairs were first cordoned off. I always loved that last townhouse at the end of the foot path. It's so sad. I hope I can get down to CA sometime to visit that lovely town.
Pacifica homes are CLOSED
huh?
@ 3:45 in your video, I lived in those apartments from 2014 to 2017, unbelievable how much has eroded in just a few years. I did love living there, never needed A/C, the sound of the ocean, and the amazing views. Totally unsafe now.
Is it really because of rising sea levels? I'm not doubting the cliffs are eroding but have they measured that the sea level in that are have actually risen? I would definitely move out, but not sure there are any apartments to move to.
Those bluffs are made of soft sandstone. Sandstone is so soft, you can scrape it away with just your fingers. The high tides and large waves of Winter have been eroding these cliffs since the beginning of time.
Twelve homes were constructed in 1949 at the top of a sea cliff along Esplanade Drive in the City of Pacifica, located on the northern coast of San Mateo County, California. The rear yards of those properties were bounded by an approximately 20-meter (70-foot) high cliff that has retreated episodically at an average rate of 0.5 to 0.6 meter (1.5 to 2 feet) per year over the past 146 years.
If you eat lunch on the beach...check the bluffs above you.
A woman was buried when part of the bluff came down.
I fish the surf, and a nice big log away from the bluffs makes a nice lunch or snack spot. :)
Could you next video be taken from higher altitude so we can know the spots you're looking at in context of landmarks?
I just started fishing there and I am still learning the area.
Amazing footage, what a stunningly gorgeous local! Are you filming with the drone, yourself?
I can’t imagine getting a good night’s sleep, let alone ever relaxing much at all, in those apartments on the edge, there. The parking lot had several vehicles, are there still tenants living in that complex? Unbelievable, if so, imo, because it’s basically already gone.
Also, I’m wondering how did the previous owner of the house that was originally a 1920s historic radio station manage to sell the property? Are the buyers going to move it elsewhere?
Even if it weren’t aggressively crumbling into the sea, it would be scary living and hanging out _right_ on those magnificent, but, imo, absolutely terrifying cliffs high above that beautifully blue, roiling surf😱!
I’m a chicken , especially when it comes to heights, I guess~🐔
Any chance there are pictures of when the apartments were built?
I use to fly my hang glider over that cliff in 1973. It was eroding then