One of the most famous spots in the city of Laguna Beach, Victoria Beach is a magnet for residents, tourists and the occasional local celebrity.
On Monday, however, lifeguards found something they don’t usually see on the sand: an abandoned, broken Panga-style vessel filled with life jackets and fuel canisters. Authorities believe the boat was used to smuggle migrants across the border.
The morning shift of lifeguards discovered the boat when they arrived around 06:20
“It was a 24-foot single outboard that ran aground and capsized,” said Kai Bond, director of Laguna Beach Marine Safety.
There was “no indication that anyone was associated with the boat,” Bond said. Lifeguards searched the beach and water and saw “no signs of distress.”
It took officials about six hours to remove the disintegrating jet ski from the beach, he said.
Steven Day, a local resident, was among the first to see the boat in the morning.
The beach has been particularly crowded this summer after being “blown up by social media,” he said. The day before the landing, the beach had hosted a volleyball tournament and it was teeming with people.
It was empty when he saw the boat early Monday morning.
Around 6:30 a.m., marine interdiction agents with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol were notified of the abandoned jet ski on the beach, agency spokeswoman Gerrelaine Alcordo said in a statement.
The agents found “12 life jackets and 10 fuel canisters on board the vessel,” Alcordo said. No arrests were made.
The vessel was seized for suspected violations of federal law which prohibits bringing non-citizens into the country outside designated ports of entry, Alcordo said.
Boat landings by migrant smuggling operations are not uncommon along California’s southern coast, officials said, although Victoria Beach is not a typical arrival site.
It’s been an eventful summer in Laguna Beach. Increased tourism has resulted litter, traffic and worn out moods to society; residents say crowds began overwhelming the city at the start of the pandemic and haven’t eased since.
In a viral TikTok video posted in July, a the homeowner yelled at a family in Victoria Beachand told them they were on her private property trying to enjoy the beach.
“Get going,” the woman yelled at the family, which included a child. “Get out of here. Now!”