By Gary M.
Last Updated: May 2006
More Mesa Beach has a very friendly and popular nudist beach for at least a half-century. Surrounded by high cliffs and scrubby brush, the beach shifts appearance between winter when its narrow strand of dark coarse sand almost disappears at hig tide to summer the summer months when lighter sand builds up and makes a deeper and more inviting shoreline. Year-round, More mesa often has oil or tar deposits washed up along the waterline. This is a natural phenomenon that has been seen for several hundred tears, and it is NOT caused by the oil rigs off the Santa Barbara coast, despite what some local activists would have you think. (Hint: Use a bottle of nail polish remover to get the tar off, and wear and old pair of sandles while strolling that you can toss away after your beach trip.)
The long walk from the car and high cliffs reduces greatly the number of "looky-loos" trying to get a glimpse of naked skin, but that doesn't mean these pests are not there. The cliff is high enough, however, that they really can't get a good look.
The beach itself is often visited by sea lions, gulls, Herons and a variety of other migratory birds in season. There is always an abundance of shells washed up also (just be careful of that tar!) All kinds of seaweed and kelp tends to wash up on this beach. More Mesa Beach is also a pretty good place to see dolphins playing just beyond the breakers, and in the winter you might even see an occasional whale spouting off.
You will also see a lot of people walking up the beach from the south with their dogs or perhaps on horseback. Hope Ranch, a gated housing community sits at the far southern end of the beach and that has created occasional friction between nude visitors to the beach and the homeowners who see this stretch of sand as something they control.
The beach was very popular twenty years ago as a nudist site despite the occasional sweeps by law enforcement when the Hope Ranch crowd telephoned in complaints. Several years ago, nudists and homeowners got together and decided on a compromise: the beach to the right (north) of the bluff steps would be clothing-optional and the beach to the left (south) of the steps would be texile. Complaints would only be made if nudists settled to the south, nearer to the homes. This truce has worked well in recent years although occassionally an indigant visitor will use his cell phone to call the sheriff's office, who by law is obligated to come down and issue tickets.
Be aware nudity is technically illegal on all California beaches and it is up to local law enforcement to decide when and how heavy-handed to enforce the law (usully a few times each year, targeting hot weekends or summer holidays.) If you are asked to get dressed, don't argue, just do it, and you can probably avoid a ticket with just a warning. Unless you are south of the bluff path in which case you are probably going to get ticketed no questions asked. After the deputies leave the beach area, most people feel safe to disrobe again, but doing so is always your individual decision.
During the summer, there can be up to 100-200 visitors during the day. It is usually a friendly crowd with many who come there often, so people know each other and watch out for each other's safety. Activities of these regulars may include volleyball, Frisbee tossing contests, and surfing.
Directions to More Mesa
