Shark Fin Cove (Santa Cruz County, California)

Just a very short stop on the way to a much bigger adventure, Shark Fin Cove is just north of Santa Cruz on the famous Highway 1. My friend, Gen, mentioned it on our way. I really didn't know what to expect as we parked the cars at a wide shoulder and began walking back towards the site. After crossing an abandoned railroad track and maneuvering under a drainage pipe, the reason for naming this place as such became quite clear.

A lone tall spear of rock juts out from the angry ocean. There is no mistaking the shape, as it looks precisely like the dorsal fin of a shark. It's unmistakable. We make our way down a slippery trail to the sand below and explore the small area a bit. A drainage has been cut into the rock and forms a small waterfall that runs into the ocean. To the left, the battering ocean waves have carved a tunnel into the solid rock. As we make our way back around the other side of the tunnel, we climb up onto a slippery piece of rock that has a number of tide pools, though apparently devoid of life. I wonder if they are truly tide pools or simply puddles formed by the splashing waves crashing against this place. Either way, we head back up to the cars without an answer, but this was a very cool little diversion on the way.