Huntington Beach Pier
N 33° 39.413 W 118° 00.141
11S E 407062 N 3724563
One of the longest piers on the West Coast, open for fishing, views of surfing and Santa Catalina Island, and of course a burger and frings at Ruby's out at the end.
Waymark Code: WMH3VE
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 05/17/2013
Views: 12
At 1,850 feet (560 m) in length, the Huntington Beach Pier is one of the longest piers on the US West Coast, only 92 ft. shy of the longest (Oceanside, at 1942 ft).
The HB pier was first built out of wood in 1903, damaged in a storm in 1912, rebuilt of concrete - and at the time, the longest pier in the US - damaged again by an earthquake in 1933, and the end destroyed by a hurricane (!) in 1939. After rebuiling again, the military used it as a Japanese submarine lookout post during World War II.
Its current incarnation opened in 1992, completely rebuilt after being severely damaged in El Niño storms in 1983 and 1989 - in the second storm, the 2-story End Cafe (which had existing since 1930, rebuilt twice) was completely destroyed. The pier was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The new pier features a gift shop, kite shop, bait & tackle (and snacks) shop, public restrooms, and a two-story Ruby's restaurant at the end, a chain restaurant with a 50's diner theme. A lifeguard tower keeps watch on bathers and surfers near the pier, and information on tides, weather and grunion runs is posted at base; usually one of their trucks is parked opposite the tower.
The bait shop will often post the most interesting catch of the week on a board outside the door. No fishing license is required to fish off California piers, but all California fishing regulations must be followed. Sport fishing regs can be found here:
(
visit link)
Click on Sportfishing and then the link to the most current Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet.
The US Open of Surfing takes place on the south side of the pier for nine days every July.
In May, there's a charity event where you can sponsor rubber ducks to raise money for the local free clinic. They all get dumped off the pier, and the first ones to reach the beach win prizes.
If you've ever shopped at Hollister stores, you may have noticed screens showing a live feed of the pier. The company pays the city for the cameras, and the money is used marine safety equipment.