Tags
aguaji, boobies in manabi, El Matal Ecuador, gringo tree cuenca, gringo tree quito, high tide beach loss, spring tides july 2014
(retweeet)@Petchary @PanosCaribbean (ZeebraDesigns said: Beneath full moon will be at front line, feet in sand, staring mother ocean’s eyes (mouth?) one wave at a time. – 11 Jul)
Emma Lewis
@Petchary @ZeebraDesigns @PanosCaribbean “That sounds poetic, but sad… Will be thinking of you.”
With little room between the high-tide mark and the buildings, Playa El Matal’s front street is choked with boats, fishermen, tourists and locals.
El Matal, Manabi, Jama, Ecuador
Mother Ocean was quite calm last night, and the night weaned into daytime without threatening and dangerous waves. I peered out at the waves about once an hour and was glad to see dawn arrive with a gentle awakening.
With palm trees flanking each side of my friends home, I remained all but incredulous when they told me that in 2010, they could step 54 paces from the end of their lot to the edge of the dry beach that angled to the ocean! I looked at their old photos, and I now sit with jaw agape at how much has been devoured by the ocean.
Will these few surviving palms be the ocean’s next meal?
They have every right to be shocked, baffled, frustrated and concerned about the tiny remnant that remains. Over two years ago they voiced concern and were told that the beach loss was normal and it would return. Last year the community united and formally presented their concerns to government authorities …
Thatched-roof boat ‘cabanas,’ restaurants and even a beach soccer field once lined this beach!
We watched the fishing boats go to sea late yesterday, and this morning we watched them return.
Rapt with fascination, we watched the boobies plunge from the skies for an all-you-can-eat buffet of fish that churned in the boats’ wakes!
The next high tide will roll in around 4:30 this afternoon, and the next higher/highest will roll in around 5 Monday morning and again on Tuesday before surrendering to a normal ebb and flow. To try to halt the beach erosion on the fishermen’s end of the beach, the municipality dumped large boulders, not natural to that beach. The waves displace the rocks, which break apart and tumble down with the tides.
The fishermen now clear the beach of rock fragments before the boats can return to shore. (Above: After the boat landed, one man carried every remnant back to the top of the beach!)
Before the sun set yesterday, I commented that the ocean was calm and quiet with no signs of rough seas. My friends told me that February’s high tide was not alarmingly high or rough, yet in the night the bipolar ocean switched personalities and roared into a monster. The extra large waves crashed ashore at high tide and gobbled the last buffer of the beach.
Mother Ocean is now building strength for an end-of-day high tide. We expect her to be quiet and calm and hope that her mood holds for the next few days.
I really really really want to swim out and visit the boobies!
A special ‘THANKS’ goes to Gringo Tree/Quito who shares our concern about El Matal’s beach loss. Thank you so much for highlighting those posts!
Z
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
Don’t ever think you can outsmart the ocean. She will take what she wants, go where she will.
si… she definitely has everyone’s respect, and we often witness her power! thanks emilie! z
I was thinking of you this morning when I was listening to the fishing reports, and when I was watching that perigee moon. I’m glad that — so far, at least! — things have remained on the quiet side.
Ironically, we’ve been helped out this year by the great tides of sargassum, the seaweed that washes in annually. They had the heavy equipment out in force, not cleaning it off the beach, but pushing it up the beach, where it can help to reestablish the dunes. I don’t remember you mentioning any naturally-occurring plant life there that can help with the problem.
So good to see your post, and the boobies, too!~
hey!
thanks for thinking of us.. i hope that the seaweed helps restore your dunes.
seeing the boobies was an extra special bonus.. it made me wonder where they sleep, as they don’t decompress along the river where they frigates, pelicans, and seagulls take timeouts from the ocean…
driftwood washes up, but that’s about it.. years ago there would be dinosaur-sized supplies down near ‘la divsion’ after the rainy season, but now most of that is bulldozed away to make the beach prettier..
hmmmmm.
Ah, ha! There’s nothing pretty about our seaweed when it’s piled up, but it doesn’t take long for the sand to fill in the crevices and begin backbuilding to the dunes. It’s something to think about. (They use recycled Christmas trees here, too, and ask people not to throw them away, but bring them to the beach. Palm frontds?)
After comparing tide tables and the aguaje chart it looks like Mother Nature is going to be kinder this time around , at least here in SC. All high tides under 3.00 meters
no one is complaining here, though a walk down the beach today shows there’s not much beach left at all where the fishermen keep their boats. the road serves as a road but also as the only option for the boats.
z
Z, I keep thinking it is not the destination, it is the journey. People working toward a common cause with a sense of community. I think we all know we cannot hold back the tide, but we can try and buy some time for other measures to take hold or become more evident. All the best in the fight. BTG
it’s always nice when people pull together during a community crisis, and it’s discouraging when some distance themselves or criticize others. if the ego is removed, the conflicts vaporize…
so far the ocean has been quiet, and we hope it continues for the next few days.
Great photos! The oceans are rising, as predicted, so the beaches will almost certainly NOT return! Sad…..
it’s amazing how much beach has been lost here… i would be much more worried without the buffer of the oversized sandbags.
thanks hugh,
lisa
Wow. What I would give to look upon that with my owns. Absolutely divine. Thank you.
Where do the boobies sleep? Now, I’m curious. Here’s hoping that mother nature is gentle this time around. Thinking of you and your lovely country.
i ‘wondered’ that outloud today as well.. they don’t find their way to the river,but perhaps they nap on the sand bar at the mouth of the river… it’s time for research! z
It’s like looking through a mirror of what my city’s small coastal shoreline has become. The last time I went home, rock sea walls were created to slow down the ocean’s hunger for land. When the waves are so strong, water reach the road and remnants of sand leaves an obvious mark. Last years typhoon ate hundreds of houses in minutes. All the more we need to take care of nature, pray harder and help each other as one community one wave at a time. Thanks. Have a great week!
I love our oceans! Our rivers, streams, mountains, plains. We live in a beautiful world.
“We’re in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyones arguing over where they’re going to sit” David Suzuki
Along the Limestone Coast, a similar situation has been occurring for a long time. Older folk with good memories, can tell of the great changes – but few can be bothered to listen to them…..
I was walking along the coast this morning, seeing the changes after storms last month which had 8 metre swells, and another visitor told me she’d been coming to that place for a very long time and had never seen it so damaged before.
Change isn’t coming, it’s already here!
WSe have been following your website and reporting for a few weeks now and really appreciate your work! Please keep it up!
Are there any long term solutions to the beach erosion problems in the Playa El Matal area?
Is the government of Ecuador getting involved at all?
hi bob!
thanks so much for your comment and interest in the coastal problems here in the jama area. i spent four days at el matal and walked the beach and noted changes after each high tide. the spirit of the people is admirable, and the 600-plus images i took captured their positive nature.
yes, there are long-term solutions, but those solutions require funds, and the local government says there’s no money. it’s refreshing to see the locals and extranjeros working together as they wade through red tape and wait as one authority delegates to another!
I was shocked to see how little beach remains but glad to hear that this time around Mother Nature was a bit kinder.
i took over 600 photos a few days ago and have been sorting through them this afternoon. i remain amazed and shocked as well – there is little room to spare on that front line between the high tide line and the steps to the houses and restaurants.
the ocean was on best behavior and we’re all grateful.
thanks!
Am glad paradise has once again been spared. And it’s beauty lies in the spirit of the people and community wanting to preserve their way of life. Your sea bird images are such a treat. Love the Boobies.
hi amiga; yes, the ocean was quite calm the entire time that i was there. we hope that she continues to sleep!
i really enjoyed seeing the boobies and did not know they were i the area… of course i now want to find out where they’re sleeping each night!
z
Is there anything else that can be done to stop the loss of the beach? How sad.
hey amiga
thanks for your concern.. yes, there are options but they cost money, and the local government /outgoing mayor said that the canton did not have the money.. we have a new mayor and hope that he’ll step up to the plate and play hardball.
the predictions of an el nino year make all of us uneasy, and we’re hopeful that they’ll soon do something to help protect that area.
Me too. It is so sad to lose livelihoods, nature, and beauty. 🙂
Hopefully it will be possible to stop the beach erosion problems in the Playa El Matal area, even against the local government’s indifference or lack of willingness to address the problem. I wish all the best with the work.
Some politicians bury their heads in the sand and say “what global warming?” Sadly out prime minister is one of them. But stories and pictures you share with us tell the truth.
It is sad all around the world beaches are being eroded.
I believe nature is fighting back against mans meddling.
Each individual can only stay calm and do what they can to conserve.
Our commercial throwaway society, wars and waste, are the main problem.
Very sad to see the erosion that is happening and when they do get action from the local govt, it surely will be too late to stop the destruction. Their beautiful property will be lapped by the waves – that’s sad.