Ravaged by recent winter storms and king tides that washed away a support piling, fear is growing that Ocean Beach Pier may be in danger of potential collapse if repairs are not immediately undertaken.
“We are aware of visible damage to the Ocean Beach Pier. At least one pile was damaged, as was the pier’s railing,” said City spokesperson Tyler Becker. Noting the City’s original plan was to “wait until after the winter storm season to conduct a full assessment of pier damage,” Tyler added, “But recent damage and upcoming weather patterns have created a new urgency to inspect the pier.”
“That piling is not damaged – it’s destroyed,” concluded Ralph Teyssier, a structural engineer and the son of Leonard Teyssier who built OB Pier. “There is no longer a piling in place. There is no support for that pier there (at missing piling), and the other piling is in a precarious state.”
Cautioned Teyssier: “If there is another storm that causes damage of this level of magnitude, we could create even more significant damage to the pier. We have a situation of progressive collapse. We can’t wait for spring (to assess damage). We need to act now.”
Becker noted the City has initiated an assessment of the recent damage to determine the next steps for repairing the 57-year-old pier. “We will continue monitoring the situation as the storm season progresses and address any urgent items that may come up,” he said.
The City also issued a warning to the public about the disabled OB Pier. “For the safety of the public, we would like to remind everyone that per San Diego Municipal Code §63.20.16, it is against the law for anyone to swim, wade, surf, or skin dive within 75 feet of any fishing pier owned and operated by the City,” noted Becker.
Teyssier questioned whether 75 feet is enough clearance to ensure public safety near the pier. “That figure is designed for an in-use pier, not a pier that has critical damage,” he said. “And with the king tides and debris coming up on the beach, whether it be parts of the railing or the concrete pile, that remains a concern.”
Teyssier added he was informed recently the City has “engaged a firm with the appropriate expertise to manage and plan for a potential mitigation program for the pier.”
The City unveiled three alternative design concepts at its third pier replacement workshop last October. They are “The Squint Test” utilizing the current pier’s layout and design but proposing widening the pier, adding a fishing deck, reconstructing the cafe, and introducing an additional deck with upgraded restrooms; “The Remora” highlighting the original layout and design while adding new features including a shaded surfer’s lounge, an enhanced junior lifeguard jump platform, an expanded deck and an expanded plaza with a small retail pavilion; and “The Braid” concept, building on the long, linear experience of the pier, reworking it into a series of separate but interconnected pathways. Other features would include potential retail, dining, and community spaces, lowered fishing areas, and enhanced restrooms.
Becker said there is no timeline for completion of the assessment of OB Pier’s structural damage. “As for the long-term plans, the City continues to work on the Ocean Beach Pier Renewal Project, which aims to provide a solution likely through a (pier) replacement,” he said. “The preferred concept, expected to be unveiled in the next few months, could be one of the three options as is. But it will more likely be a combination of the elements most desired by the community from the three options that were presented.”
Mark Winkie, one of 12 members of the OB Task Force working on the replacement project, noted the goal of the process now is to “provide a preferred alternative, which is the final design incorporating the community’s wishes.”
Winkie added the public is concerned too about the damaged OB Pier’s safety. “Because the one piling is now gone, that puts serious stress on the remaining piling and the pier at large,” he said adding, “We’ve never lost a pile like that before. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that you could see a catastrophic failure of the pier at some point during the winter. Whether that happens – or not – is an unknown as to when, or even how, it would fail.”
In the meantime, Winkie cautioned, “The public needs to be kept away from [the pier].”
OCEAN BEACH PIER
Opened in 1966, Ocean Beach Pier debuted as a sport-fishing pier with no fee for accessing it and no fishing licenses required. During its first 25 years, the pier received normal ongoing maintenance required by exposure to the harsh marine environment of wind, waves, and salt. In 1991, the pier underwent major structural rehabilitation.
Since the early 2000s, exposure to large waves and ongoing degradation has required structural pier repairs with increasing frequency. The pier has been closed to the public since October 2023. Based on the findings of a 2018 study determining OB Pier has reached the end of its useful service life, the City has determined that pursuing a potential replacement of the pier is the best long-term option.
The City is now working with consultants Moffatt & Nichol and the public to design the preferred alternative for the potential replacement of the pier. The City hosted three community workshops in 2023 to receive input on what the public would like in new pier amenities. The City is expected to select a preferred alternative alignment for replacing the pier at a public workshop later this year.
