RE:BEACH
A innovative, community-driven initiative for sand retention and restoration in Oceanside, California
What is RE:BEACH?
RE:BEACH is the City of Oceanside’s primary coastal resilience building initiative. Through an innovative, new approach to implementing the city’s sand retention and restoration priorities, RE:BEACH sources global solutions and applies them locally to keep Oceanside’s beaches the vital center of the economy and community.
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Oceanside’s beaches have suffered decades of chronic erosion, exacerbated by construction of nearby harbors and disruption of natural sand movement. Traditional sand nourishment efforts temporarily widened beaches but sand quickly eroded away. In 2020–2021, the City completed a Phase 1 Sand Feasibility Study to examine long-term solutions, concluding that both consistent nourishment and retention strategies were needed.
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To find innovative solutions beyond traditional fixed structures like groins, Oceanside launched the RE:BEACH initiative as part of Phase 2 of its sand nourishment and retention pilot project. This was supported through a coastal resilience design competition with international design teams. Three design teams from around the world presented concepts; the jury (including scientists, community members, and coastal experts) chose the “Living Speed Bumps” concept by International Coastal Management (ICM). This design features two artificial headlands onshore to help stabilize back-beach sand and one offshore artificial reef to dissipate wave energy, promote sand deposition, and reduce erosive forces. Retain sand longer on Oceanside beaches (making nourishment more effective and sustainable). Once implemented, RE:BEACH Pilot will:
Protect coastal infrastructure, recreation, and the local tourism economy.
Provide a science-driven, community-vetted pilot that could inform future coastal restoration strategies locally and regionally.
Provide a science-driven, community-vetted pilot that could inform future coastal restoration strategies locally and regionally.
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In 2023 and 2024, public engagement & workshops were conducted throughout design phases to refine concepts and site criteria. In late 2024, the City Council unanimously approved siting for the pilot project at Tyson Street Park and Wisconsin Avenue segments.
In 2025 the project was designated as the regional sand retention pilot project by SANDAG’s Shoreline Preservation Working Group, giving it broader regional relevance and collaboration. RE:BEACH was also awarded $1.8 million by the California Coastal Commission to expand monitoring and evaluation.
As of early 2026, the engineering modeling and physical wave testing for the RE:BEACH pilot are underway to refine designs before full engineering and environmental review.
DESIGNED FOR COASTAL RESILIENCE AND ROOTED IN SCIENCE. TESTED FOR WAVE PERFORMANCE. MONITORED OVER TIME.
Modeling & Design Refinement:
A Data-Driven Approach
Monitoring & Adaptive Management: Building a Baseline
The RE:BEACH Pilot Project design is informed by technical evaluation of surf and wave interactions, sand retention and shoreline processes. The site was selected to avoid high-use surf areas while addressing stretches of shoreline most impacted by erosion. To guide design decisions and ensure the project meets its objectives, the Project Team is conducting:
Numerical Modeling: More than 45 reef configurations were tested in over 900 simulations. These analyses evaluated wave height, swell direction, tidal variations, sand retention, current patterns, and potential downdrift impacts.
Physical Wave Modeling: A 1:35 physical scale model of the Oceanside coastline, including the proposed reef and headlands, was tested in a 160’ x 87’ directional wave basin in O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory, at Oregon State University. Wave behavior, sediment transport, and currents were measured under controlled conditions.
Design Refinement: Modeling results inform adjustments to reef crest elevations, arm placement, reef dimensions and construction materials. No final design will be approved until objectives are met and the project performs as expected.
The RE:BEACH Pilot Project includes a multi-year monitoring program to document existing conditions and track changes over time. Monitoring helps ensure that the project meets its objectives for shoreline resilience, sand retention, wave performance, and public access.
Monitoring activities include:
Coastal Monitoring: Shoreline elevation profiles, drone-based topographic mapping, bathymetric surveys, and sediment transport analysis.
Currents & Wave Data: Continues measurements of currents, wave transmission, and circulation patterns, which have been concurrently added into numerical and physical modeling phases
Surf & Beach Use: Surf quality assessments using , wave breaking monitoring, surfing headcount, and beach use surveys.
Data from monitoring will guide the development of an adaptive management plan and triggers for action, if monitoring data reveals results that differ from modeled expectations. Adaptive actions could include things like thinning the rocky headland outcrop or beach nourishment; these adjustments are likely to be needed to ensure the project continues to meet its performance goals.
All monitoring results will be publicly available to maintain transparency and inform future design decisions along Oceanside’s coastline.
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RE:BEACH | February 2026 Newsletter
Read about the latest updates with RE:BEACH and the City of Oceanside’s coastal management, including updates on the summer public webinar, newly launched advisory groups, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation updates.
RE:BEACH Summer 2025 Newsletter
RE:BEACH | August 2025Read about the latest updates with RE:BEACH and the City of Oceanside’s coastal management, including updates on the summer public webinar, newly launched advisory groups, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation updates.
Location Approved for RE:BEACH Oceanside Pilot Project
City of Oceanside | November 2024On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, the City Council voted unanimously to approve the siting recommendation for the “Living Speed Bumps” concept. This innovative concept involves building two small headlands, now determined to be located at Tyson Street Park and at Wisconsin Avenue, and an offshore artificial reef situated between the headlands.
City Council Unanimously Approves RE:BEACH Project
City of Oceanside | January 2024The City Council met at a Workshop on January 31, 2024, to discuss the RE:BEACH project, and unanimously approved moving forward with the ICM proposal.
A California Beach Town is Desperate to save it’s vanishing sand
The New York Times | September 2023Sea-level rise and man-made projects have left Oceanside with precious little beach space. That’s a problem if coastal life is part of your city’s identity.
RE:BEACH Newsletter Launched
RE:BEACH | May 2025The City of Oceanside is excited to launch the RE:BEACH newsletter to provide updates on the project and details on ways to provide input and engagement with the project. We will release these newsletters 3-4 times a year to keep you updated on critical progress for the RE:BEACH headlands and artificial reef pilot project.
Firms reveal proposals for a project to restore oceanside beach sand
The San Diego Union-Tribune | August 2023Over 200 community members participated in the RE:BEACH first public workshop on August 29, 2023 where design concepts like, islands, artificial reefs, and a coastal forest are among the proposals outlined.
City Secures $1.8M Grant from CA Coastal Commission
City of Oceanside | April 2025On Wednesday, April 9, 2025, the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved a $1.835M grant for the City of Oceanside. These funds will support a robust baseline monitoring effort to advance the City’s coastal management program and the implementation efforts of the RE:BEACH Oceanside project.
SANDAG Selects RE:BEACH for RBSPIII
SANDAG | June 2025The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Shoreline Preservation Working group has officially selected RE:BEACH pilot as the regional sand retention pilot (RSBP III). This will provide further support for the implementation, monitoring, and analysis for the RE:BEACH pilot program, as a model for future shoreline planning.
Notice of Preparation for Draft EIR
CEQA | October 2025Oceanside Sand Nourishment and Retention Project, the formal project name for the RE:BEACH Pilot, published its Notice of Preparation for the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and is now available for public comment.
BBC Documentary “Trying to Save One Beach at a Time” Highlights RE:BEACH
BBC | July 2025As sea levels rise and the ocean swallows the sand, Oceanside residents are coming together to protect the coastline they love. Watch how local organizations are innovating and adapting to slow coastal erosion and build a more resilient seaside city. Produced for Resilient Cities Catalyst (Alumbra Foundation) by BBC StoryWorks as part of the Transforming Cities series presented by C40 Cities.