Swells from Hurricane Polo cause rockslide along Laguna Beach coast

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - High waves driven by Hurricane Polo sent massive swells crashing into the Laguna Beach coastline, triggering a rockslide near Agate Street Beach and forcing officials to close access to the area.

The City of Laguna Beach flew a drone over the site to examine the slide. Geologists are expected to survey the area to determine potential next steps, but officials have already deemed the staircase leading down to the beach unsafe for use.

What we know:

Relentless waves continue to cause damage along the coastline. On Tuesday, the rockslide beneath the Agate Street Beach staircase and viewpoint prompted authorities to shut down the beach access point completely.

Multiple beach access points remain closed across the area, and officials are warning the public to stay out of the water entirely.

The damage comes shortly after remnants of Hurricane Marie destroyed a sea wall in the same area earlier this month.

Local perspective:

Shuvo Rafiq, who lives nearby, said he hasn't seen the sand and rocks of the beach in over a month due to persistent conditions.

"Mother Nature is Mother Nature, I guess," Rafiq said. "There's nothing we can do about it, but I'm just lucky that I'm not on the water."

Warmer Pacific waters from El Niño conditions have local residents bracing for additional severe weather in the coming months.

"The rainy season is coming up right, so when we have a lot of wind-driven rain, I don't know what's going to happen at that time," Rafiq said.

No injuries were reported from the rockslide. Officials noted that while beach access is officially closed, high tides have left little to no beach available to visitors for at least the past month.

Laguna Beach