A large sewage spill prompted the closure of areas in Laguna Beach to the public on Saturday. Around 1,964 gallons of sewage were released into the ocean due to a blockage in a sewer main, according to the OC Health Care Agency. Ocean areas from Victoria Beach to Goff Island Beach are currently closed. Visitors are not allowed to swim, surf, or dive into the waters until results from a follow-up monitoring test show bacteria levels are up to health standards. People who come into contact with contaminated water during this period could become ill, officials warned. Those who are especially sus ..read more

For more information on Dana Wharf visit their website or check out their Instagram. This episode aired July 3, 2023 ..read more

Sea lions have been attacking people at the beach in Orange County who get too close and marine wildlife experts believe the mammals may be acting aggressively after being sickened by poisonous algal blooms. At the entrance to Dana Strands Beach in Dana Point is a warning to visitors about an aggressive sea lion in the area, one of at least three beaches where people have been bitten in the last several days.   “We’ve actually seen a number of surfers in the water that have been bit by sea lions and those sea lions are more likely to be sea lions that have had a seizure and are completely ..read more

Look, but don’t touch. That’s the message from marine biologists as Southern California sees an influx of jellyfish-like creatures known as Velella velella, or By-the-Wind Sailors. On Saturday, Dana Wharf Whale Watching posted a video showing the strange, purple blobs that travel with the ocean currents and winds. Beachgoers say they are washing ashore by the thousands along the Southern California coast, including Huntington Beach, Zuma Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Salt Creek Beach. They have also been spotted further north. By-the-Wind sailors are known as colonial hydroid, meaning they’re co ..read more

Authorities have closed off ocean access at Doheny State Beach following a massive sewage spill on Wednesday. The waters were contaminated after a 4,000-gallon spill was caused by “an overflow in a main city sewer line in San Juan Capistrano,” said the OC Health Care Agency. Located in Dana Point, ocean access will be prohibited both 1,500 feet upcoast and 1,500 feet downcoast of the San Juan Creek interface, officials said. The affected area will be blocked off from any swimming, surfing or diving. Waters will reopen when the tested water quality “meets acceptable standards,” officials said ..read more

A 39-year-old man has been charged with murder after allegedly striking and fatally stabbing an emergency room doctor who was riding his bicycle along Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point earlier this week. The incident occurred around 3 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of PCH and Crown Valley Parkway. Michael Mammone is seen in a photo released by Providence Mission Hospital on Feb. 2, 2023. Vanroy Smith, of Long Beach, allegedly struck Michael Mammone, 58, with his white Lexus. After the crash, Smith got out of his vehicle and allegedly stabbed Mammone several times. Smith was detained by w ..read more

A Dana Point man has been arrested and accused of a hate crime after police say he spray-painted racist remarks on a well-known Costa Mesa mural dedicated to immigrant Latinas. Costa Mesa Police Department officers responded the afternoon of Oct. 31, 2022, to "Las Poderosas," a 70-foot-long mural in the 3000 block of Killybrooke Lane, for a report of vandalism, police said in a news release. When they arrived, officers found that the mural honoring immigrant Latinas and their heritage was "vandalized with white supremacy language," police said. The mural was created two years earlier by an all ..read more

Whale watchers on a boat tour off Dana Point, California witnessed the miracle of life as a gray whale gave birth to a baby whale calf on Monday. Passengers and crew captured the birth and the calf’s first moments of life on cellphone and drone video on Capt. Dave's Dolphin & Whale Safari boat tour. When passengers first spotted blood in the water they thought the whale was injured. "For a minute, many of us thought it may be a shark or predatory event,” said Matt Stumpf, Capt. Dave’s drone operator. “But no, instead of the end of life, it was the beginning of a new one!" Gray whale calf ..read more

With California struggling through historic drought, the state's Coastal Commission on Thursday approved a desalination plant that could turn up to 5 million gallons of seawater a day into drinkable water. The commission voted 11-0 to approve the proposed Doheny Ocean Desalination Project in Dana Point in Orange County. Although it faces other regulatory hurdles, the decision by the state's coastal guardian was a key step towards approval of the $140 million plant, which could be running by 2027 and provide the South Coast Water District with enough water for about 40,000 people. California ha ..read more

This weekend, KTLA 5 Live's Samantha, Andy and Bobby hopped on the Amtrak Surfliner to San Juan Capistrano's favorite Trevor's at the Tracks to preview this weekend's California Wine Festival in Dana Point. Starting Friday, April 22, listen to live music while enjoying fine wines and gourmet food from dozens of restaurants, wineries, and vendors - including Trevor's. A portion of the festival proceeds will be donated to local charities like the Surfrider Foundation. If you miss the Dana Point festival, the group will be repeating the ocean-front fest on upcoming dates in Huntington Beach, Carl ..read more