"So what is it exactly about Carpinteria Beach that makes it the world's safest?" I asked my travel buddy, since this little tag is always being bandied around.
"It has no undertow or riptide," he said. He grew up two blocks from this beach (Poor guy, huh?) and spent nearly every day of his youth in the water, on the beach or combing the tide pools. The surf is gentle so even young children can swim in the ocean here. Body surfing and boogie boarding are sports every child in Carpinteria take up.
On weekends and during the summer months, the beach is packed, but last Wednesday morning, I had it to myself. Walking miles and miles on a lonely beach--now that's my kind of sport!
Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo discovered a Chumash Indian Village here in 1542 called Mishopshnow, but it wasn't until 1769 that the name was changed to "La Carpinteria". The soldiers in the Portola Expedition observed the Chumash building wooden canoes on the beach, so they named the town "the Carpenter Shop". They used the natural tar seepage from the beach to caulk their canoes, and even today, if you go barefoot, make sure you have a bottle of vegetable oil and a roll of paper towels in your car. It's the best way to get the tar off your feet!
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