Black S Beach

A 30-year-old man drowned Thursday afternoon while swimming off Black's Beach, possibly the victim of powerful rip currents, San Diego lifeguards said. The Latino, whose name was not released, was reported missing about 2 p.m. at the popular but unguarded stretch of beach north of La Jolla. Despite an intense search by lifeguards and a Sheriff's Department helicopter crew, his body was not found until 3:21 p.m., lifeguard James Frazee said.

Retired lifeguard Nick Steers still remembers the day he helped rescue an injured swimmer at Venice Beach while onlookers gathered around him. "I'm on my hands and knees and I look around and all I see are crotches" and other private parts, he said. "Everyone was nude. " As he recalls, the injured swimmer was also devoid of a bathing suit. It was 1974, the summer of Venice's nude beach. Until then, Venice had been a relatively quiet area except for the occasional beat of a bongo drum.

Steve Simms stands on a dusty bluff overlooking Black's Beach, gazing down 340 feet of twisting, tortuous trail that over the years has thrown as big a challenge at surfers as the gnarly waves below. As his eyes squint through a morning haze, Simms does not see a dangerous path along which dozens of daring beach-goers have been seriously injured attempting to scale its steep-sloped terrain. Instead, he sees a beloved improvement project taking shape above the scenic La Jolla shores.

When we think Colorado, we think Rockies. Missouri? The Mississippi River. And California? Well, we have so many fabulous physical features that it's hard to choose one. But for our purposes, we're concentrating on beaches, if only to rub it in to Colorado and Missouri. The staff has chosen its favorites, which appear below. This may not be the end-all and be-all, and you may even disagree. If you do, let us know at tellus@latimes.com. Coronado City Beach Coronado Bookended by military stations and parading past the storied Hotel del Coronado, this nearly two-mile stretch of Pacific Ocean sand is a great place to hobnob with summer crowds or escape them.

A relaxing afternoon at Black's Beach in La Jolla turned deadly for a group of friends Thursday when one member of the party drowned and his brother was swept out to sea by powerful riptides. Florentino Pineda Bonilla, 19, was pronounced dead at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla at 3:50 p.m. after efforts to resuscitate him failed. His 25-year-old brother, Jose Guadalupe Bonilla, was listed as missing Thursday night after a fruitless search by lifeguard boats and a helicopter.

Retired lifeguard Nick Steers still remembers the day he helped rescue an injured swimmer at Venice Beach while onlookers gathered around him. "I'm on my hands and knees and I look around and all I see are crotches" and other private parts, he said. "Everyone was nude. " As he recalls, the injured swimmer was also devoid of a bathing suit. It was 1974, the summer of Venice's nude beach. Until then, Venice had been a relatively quiet area except for the occasional beat of a bongo drum.

When Donna Lawrence arrived in San Diego a couple of weeks back, she didn't bother marching off to the zoo, Sea World or any of the other local tourist haunts. No way. Lawrence wanted something more elemental, more quintessentially Californian. So she headed for Black's Beach. The 21-year-old North Carolina native has not been disappointed.

When we think Colorado, we think Rockies. Missouri? The Mississippi River. And California? Well, we have so many fabulous physical features that it's hard to choose one. But for our purposes, we're concentrating on beaches, if only to rub it in to Colorado and Missouri. The staff has chosen its favorites, which appear below. This may not be the end-all and be-all, and you may even disagree. If you do, let us know at tellus@latimes.com. Coronado City Beach Coronado Bookended by military stations and parading past the storied Hotel del Coronado, this nearly two-mile stretch of Pacific Ocean sand is a great place to hobnob with summer crowds or escape them.

It was insulting and degrading to me and my husband to see Black's Beach with nude bodies on the front page of the San Diego section ("Will Clothed Minds Prevail?" July 31). You could have put it in the back for the prurient-minded and had the children's poetry article all on the front. Their stories and poetry are beautiful. Hopefully, Black's Beach will be closed to those exhibitionists and nonconformists. Sensationalism is passe. ANN BRODFUEHRER Ramona

A 57-year-old man suffered fatal head injuries Wednesday when a portion of the bluff at Torrey Pines State Beach collapsed, police said. The Las Vegas resident was playing Frisbee with his brother and nephew about 1 p.m. He sat down near the bluff to change his shoes, when rocks the size of basketballs came cascading down, officials said. No one else was injured, but state lifeguards immediately closed the beach. A state geologist went to the site to determine whether other collapses might follow.

A 57-year-old man suffered fatal head injuries Wednesday when a portion of the bluff at Torrey Pines State Beach collapsed, police said. The Las Vegas resident was playing Frisbee with his brother and nephew about 1 p.m. He sat down near the bluff to change his shoes, when rocks the size of basketballs came cascading down, officials said. No one else was injured, but state lifeguards immediately closed the beach. A state geologist went to the site to determine whether other collapses might follow.

A high school dropout from Huntington Beach has admitted shooting a black man, but his defense attorney said Thursday the killing was in self-defense and had nothing to do with the man's race. Attorneys for Jonathan Kennedy, 19, and his co-defendant, Robert Wofford, 17, of Laguna Niguel, also say their clients have been unfairly portrayed by police as white supremacists. "I think when all the evidence is in, it will show Mr.

A Laguna Niguel youth will be tried as an adult for murder in the shooting death of a 44-year-old black man because of the gravity of the crime and because the killing may have been racially motivated, a judge ruled Friday. "A man needlessly lost his life and there appears to be some racial overtones," said Orange County Superior Court Judge Frank F. Fasel, who presides in Juvenile Court. Deputy Dist. Atty.

A 30-year-old man drowned Thursday afternoon while swimming off Black's Beach, possibly the victim of powerful rip currents, San Diego lifeguards said. The Latino, whose name was not released, was reported missing about 2 p.m. at the popular but unguarded stretch of beach north of La Jolla. Despite an intense search by lifeguards and a Sheriff's Department helicopter crew, his body was not found until 3:21 p.m., lifeguard James Frazee said.

Steve Simms stands on a dusty bluff overlooking Black's Beach, gazing down 340 feet of twisting, tortuous trail that over the years has thrown as big a challenge at surfers as the gnarly waves below. As his eyes squint through a morning haze, Simms does not see a dangerous path along which dozens of daring beach-goers have been seriously injured attempting to scale its steep-sloped terrain. Instead, he sees a beloved improvement project taking shape above the scenic La Jolla shores.

Steve Simms stands on a dusty bluff overlooking Black's Beach, his gaze panning down 340 feet of twisting, tortuous trail that over the years has thrown as big a challenge at surfers as the gnarly waves below. But, as his eyes squint through a weekday morning haze, Simms doesn't see a dangerous path along which dozens of daring beach-goers have been seriously injured, attempting to scale its steep slopes.

Steve Simms stands on a dusty bluff overlooking Black's Beach, his gaze panning down 340 feet of twisting, tortuous trail that over the years has thrown as big a challenge at surfers as the gnarly waves below. But, as his eyes squint through a weekday morning haze, Simms doesn't see a dangerous path along which dozens of daring beach-goers have been seriously injured, attempting to scale its steep slopes.

Police used rubber whips, tear gas and low-flying helicopters to disperse black picnickers at whites-only beaches near Cape Town on Saturday and broke up other anti-apartheid protests nationwide in the most concerted effort yet to quash a new campaign of civil disobedience.

A relaxing afternoon at Black's Beach in La Jolla turned deadly for a group of friends Thursday when one member of the party drowned and his brother was swept out to sea by powerful riptides. Florentino Pineda Bonilla, 19, was pronounced dead at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla at 3:50 p.m. after efforts to resuscitate him failed. His 25-year-old brother, Jose Guadalupe Bonilla, was listed as missing Thursday night after a fruitless search by lifeguard boats and a helicopter.