Seacliff State Beach, off Highway 1 on State Park Drive in Aptos, is a long stretch of sand backed by bluffs, with covered picnic areas and a visitor center. California State Parks calls it a popular swimming spot. It is best known for the hulk lying offshore.

The ship

State Parks tells the story. In 1910, a Norwegian engineer named Fougner had the idea of building ships from concrete. It wasn't tried until 1917, when wartime steel shortages forced the use of cement. Three concrete ships were built. Two of them, the Peralta and the Palo Alto, were built in Oakland as tankers, but World War I ended before they were finished.

In 1929, the Cal-Nevada Company bought the Palo Alto to turn it into an amusement and fishing ship. It was towed to Seacliff, and its sea cocks were opened so it settled on the bottom. By the summer of 1930, a pier led out to it, and the ship had a dance floor, a cafe and a heated swimming pool. The company went broke after two seasons, the ship was stripped, and the pier was left for fishing. The ship is unsafe and closed to the public.

The 2023 storms

The early-2023 storms destroyed more than half the pier and left the rest close to collapse. Removal began March 20, 2023, and was finished that May. Wikipedia notes that part of the ship had already overturned in the 2016-17 storms, and the 2023 storms broke it up further. Crews and volunteers cleared debris and repaired the promenade to restore access.

The campground is still closed because of the storm damage. State Parks is planning a rebuild, and the nearest tent camping is next door at New Brighton.

Rules and fees

The day-use fee is $10 per car, or $9 for seniors 62 and older. Dogs must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Fishing from the beach requires a license. Fires are not allowed on Seacliff's main beach; at Rio del Mar they must stay in the fire rings provided. Alcohol is banned on the beach and in day-use areas. Unusually, drones are allowed, but only above the field at the south end of the main day-use lot.

Before the ship

Wikipedia says the beach was part of the Rancho Aptos grant to Rafael Castro in 1833. Castro and Claus Spreckels built a wharf here, and it became a shipping port with trade ties to the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, where Mexican vaqueros recruited here became known as paniolos. The beach got a state grant for preservation in 1930 and became a state beach in 1931.

Nearby on the Santa Cruz coast: monarch season at Natural Bridges.