'Absent Squatters': How Billionaires Are Killing The Beach

While it wasn’t the end of the world it still proved a salient reminder of the immense value of beach and coastal access. In California and Hawaii, this privilege was hard won over many legal battles and where the public faced the daunting task of taking on well-heeled developers, private land owners, and their armies of lawyers and public relations teams. 

But the battle never really stops, it evolves. Mark Zuckerberg's actions on Kauai were so swift and secretive that locals never really stood a chance. Poof, one day they woke up and everything had changed and the housing crisis had gotten even worse. Can anything still be done?

Around the world developers and wealthy landowners continue to buy and privatize huge swaths of coastal land—indifferent to the existing public use by surfers and beachgoers—and restricting access everywhere from Mexico to El Salvador and Maine to New Hampshire.

It is when reading about these struggles that I remember just how lucky we are to have strong protections in places like California and Hawaii. 

Not surprisingly, beachfront real estate is one of the ultimate status symbols. What's tragic is it is increasingly coming at the cost of those who have truly lived and defined beach culture--surfers, shapers, fishermen, nature lovers--being forced out. The rise of corporate-owned real estate, Airbnb, and remote work all further escalated the issue.

The irony of this is that these homes often sit empty. A quick cruise along any coast reveals that, on most luxury homes, the blinds are drawn shut. The owners, save for a few exceptions, are not die hard surfers, nor sailers, nor swimmers, they are essentially absent squatters who wish to exert an unreasonable amount of control. Sure, they pay property taxes. But we all pay taxes. Only most of us can't afford lawyers or lobbyists to help us achieve our goals. All we want is fair access . All they want is everything.

Once groovy beach towns now suffer from their own success. Without strict protections, high civic engagement, and well-thought out community planning--a rare trifecta--the magic dissipates like sandbar. The vibe becomes, 'you should have been here yesterday.'

What was once defined by the juxtaposition of the place and the local cast of characters has now been bought and sold to the highest bidder. The places remain but the soul is not the same.

To be clear, I'm not against private land. In some cases, wealthy individuals may be the best stewards of sensitive areas. For instance, the story of the North Face owner, Douglas Tompkins, who, along with Yvon Chouinard, purchased millions of acres in South America to be set aside for conservation and turned into national parks. That's a best case scenario--buying otherwise vulnerable land and protecting it for future generations. It all comes down to your intention and whether your interests are self-serving or are for the greater good.

What about the Hollister Ranch? Well, I'd love to surf there but I'm happy to know that there are at least some parts of the coast that aren't subject to the trash that comes along with thousands of beachgoers.

Aside from some exceptions, in general, public access is a great thing that lessens the inequality gap that plagues so much of the world.

As Alan Watts once said, "Where I live, in Sausalito, we have a harbor full of ever so many pleasure craft—motor cruisers, sailing boats, all kinds of things—and they never leave the dock. All that happens with them is their owners have cocktail parties there on Saturdays and Sundays, because they discovered—having bought these things—that the discipline of sailing is difficult to learn and takes a lot of time. And they didn’t have time for it, so they just bought the thing as a status symbol. So in other words, you can’t have pleasure in life without skill.”

The beach should be available and open for all as we know that the ocean in itself is therapeutic. Merely looking at it can help ease the mind and calm anxiety, being in it is nothing short of miraculous for those who have a taste for the salt water and the waves. Access should never be taken granted and our all of our waterways deserve the utmost respect.