The California coast has taken a beating this winter season. Fueled by a hyperactive El Niño pattern, consistent high surf and back-to-back atmospheric rivers have pummeled the seaboard, creating historic waves and conditions for surfers, along with catastrophic erosion for coastal land and .
Santa Cruz Sentinel earns CNPA honors, including top photojournalism award santacruzsentinel.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from santacruzsentinel.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Many Santa Cruzans might think of the small Patagonia outlet store on River Street as the only local vestige of the iconic outdoor lifestyle brand forged on environmental consciousness that made big headlines recently. But the company’s ethos, made loud and clear by founder and indignant billionaire Yvon Chouinard, is also carried on by people like Kyle Thiermann, a Santa Cruz kid who grew up with a different idea about what a pro surfer could be.