COMMUNITY-DRIVEN COASTAL RESILIENCE & SURF-ZONE MANAGEMENT IN OCEANSIDE

The CORE Project is a key collaborator and advisor in ongoing coastal-management discussions by helping bridge the gap between policymakers, scientists, engineers, lifeguards, and community groups in Oceanside, California.

Yehuda Ben-Hamo, Executive Director and founder of CORE, serves as a Surf Resource Advisor supporting Save Our Sand Oceanside (SOS Oceanside) while also contributing to technical meetings with the City of Oceanside, Rebeach Oceanside planning committee, GHD engineering, local lifeguard agencies, and local community NGOs and surf resource stakeholders.

CORE helps ensure that the local community is actively involved in coastal decision-making by bringing forward community perspectives, local knowledge, and on-the-ground experience. We facilitate communication between stakeholders, translate complex coastal science for the public, and make sure recreation, surf safety, and community values are meaningfully represented in broader shoreline-planning efforts.

This includes providing surf-resource guidance on early sand-retention pilot concepts to help ensure potential designs protect public access, safeguard surf quality, improve shoreline safety, and align with community-driven environmental outcomes.

Community Engagement & Public Education

Community engagement is central to CORE’s mission. At local events—such as the annual Oceanside Pier Shootout—CORE partners with the Oceanside Boardriders Club and SOS Oceanside to educate surfers, families, and beachgoers about coastal resilience, sand movement, hazard awareness, and responsible beach visitation. These outreach efforts help build a more informed community prepared to participate in coastal decision-making and safer ocean use.

Check out a recap of the event: https://fox5sandiego.com/news/oceanside-surf-competition-erosion/

CORE is also developing free, publicly accessible educational courses that address growing knowledge gaps around surf etiquette, ocean dynamics, safety fundamentals, and ethical recreational practices. These materials draw from challenges documented in our impact work—such as overcrowding, limited safety awareness, and rising incident trends—and ensure ocean users have access to clear, trustworthy guidance.

Training, Safety & Surf-Zone Support

CORE provides hands-on training opportunities designed to strengthen local preparedness and reduce preventable accidents in the surf zone.

Our work includes:

• Community First Responder workshops

• Surf-zone hazard-awareness sessions

• Emergency-response and marine-safety strategies

• Coordination with lifeguard agencies to improve monitoring and reporting

This safety-focused approach also extends internationally through partnerships and advocacy efforts that promote best practices in coastal recreation and responsible ocean use across diverse coastlines.

CORE's Executive Director, Yehuda Ben-Hamo, engaging local surfers and community members alongside Founders of the Save Our Sand Oceanside community group at the Oceanside Boardriders Event in November 2025

Surf Safety Signage Rollout

In collaboration with the Oceanside Boardriders Club and SOS Oceanside, CORE is preparing to roll out new surf-safety and etiquette signage designed to improve surf-zone awareness, reduce conflict, and support safer shared use at crowded surf breaks. These signs integrate essential ocean-safety fundamentals, surf etiquette, and place-based hazard information to ensure both new and experienced ocean users have access to clear, relevant guidance. This rollout represents a significant step toward standardized surf-safety communication in Oceanside and supports broader coastal-management goals.

Bridging Recreation & Coastal Planning

A core objective for The CORE Project is to integrate surf-zone safety and recreational values into broader coastal strategies. Through active collaboration with municipal agencies, lifeguards, engineers, environmental organizations, and surf communities, CORE helps ensure shoreline projects balance ecological protection with cultural significance and public use.

CORE contributes to stakeholder processes such as Re:Beach Oceanside, helping translate community concerns, share surf-resource insights, and advocate for balanced, community-informed solutions.

Mission-Driven Priorities

• Expanding free public educational resources

• Delivering surf-safety and emergency-response training

• Supporting surf-zone monitoring and lifeguard needs

• Facilitating stakeholder and City Council engagement

• Bridging communication between policymakers, experts, and ocean users• Advocating for surf-resource protection within coastal-management frameworks

Coastal areas are facing increasing pressures from erosion, climate change, overcrowding, and shifting coastal dynamics—threats that put essential recreational, cultural, and ecological resources at risk. The CORE Project strengthens coastal stewardship by elevating community involvement, improving public ocean-safety knowledge, and supporting practical, science-informed management efforts. Through collaboration with local governments, community groups, lifeguards, and ocean users, CORE helps develop balanced solutions that protect beaches, enhance recreation, and preserve the coastal environments we all rely on.

Contact us to get involved:

Yehuda@coastal-stewards.org