It’s no secret that one of the Bay Area’s most popular beaches is among the dirtiest in California. Pacifica’s Linda Mar Beach may be famous for its exquisite Taco Bell Cantina and gentle, beginner surfer breaks, but its polluted waters have landed it on both the Surfrider Foundation’s and Heal the Bay’s, ahem, s—t lists, for years.
In 2025 alone, nearly three out of four samples (72%) collected where San Pedro Creek meets the ocean by the Surfrider Foundation’s Blue Water Task Force tested positive for high levels of fecal bacteria. Enterococcus and E. coli, bacteria found in human and animal intestines, have both turned up in Linda Mar’s waters since testing began 12 years ago.
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