Swami’s State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA)
Signs to be aware of:

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are named, discrete geographic marine or estuarine areas seaward of the mean high tide line or the mouth of a coastal river, including any area of intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying water and associated flora and fauna, that have been designated by law or administrative action to protect or conserve marine life and habitat. They are scientifically proven to promote the restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity, which help increase the ocean’s resilience to pollution and climate change. The need to safeguard the long-term health of California’s marine life was recognized by the California Legislature in 1999 with the passage of the Marine Life Protection Act. This Act aims to protect California’s marine natural heritage through establishing a statewide network of MPAs. Currently, there are 124 MPAs in California. The City of Encinitas is home to the Swami’s State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) MPA, which was established in 2012, and spans approximately 3.5 miles of shoreline (from Moonlight State Beach south to South Cardiff State Beach) and 3.5 miles offshore with an overall area of 12.71 square miles.
The depth within the Swami’s SMCA ranges from 0 feet to 982 feet below sea level. Several surf breaks, most notably Swami’s Reef, Cardiff Reef and Seaside Reef are popular for surfing. Swami’s SMCA protects and sustains multiple habitats which include kelp forests, surf grass, rocky reef, and intertidal reef which support a variety of fish, invertebrates, and avian bird species. During low tide, visitors can observe tide pools with anemones, brittle stars, sea
hares, and octopus near Swami’s Point and Table Tops Reef. California Least Terns, Double-Crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans can be seen fishing offshore, as well as intertidal foragers such as the Western Snowy Plover, Sanderlings, and Whimbrels, found near the Cardiff State Beach Living Shoreline dunes.

To ensure the continued success of the ecosystem, it is unlawful to injure, damage, take, or possess any living, geological, or cultural marine resources from this area for commercial or recreational purposes with the exception of recreational fishing for finfish (or bony fish, such as sharks, skates and rays) by take with hook and line from shore. The recreational take from spearfishing of pelagic finfish (defined as Barracuda, Pacific Bonito, Yellowtail, Thresher shark, Pacific Mackerel, Dorado, and White Seabass) is also allowed. No recreational or commercial boat fishing of any kind is allowed. Beach nourishment and other sediment management activities and operation and maintenance of artificial structures inside the conservation area is allowed pursuant to any required federal, state, and local permits. Please see the specific California Code Regulations (C.C.R), Title 14, Section 632 for Marine Protected Areas from California Fish and Wildlife.