California Beaches: Corona Del Mar-Newport Beach

A surfer emerges from the sea, silhouetted by misty beams of golden light at sunset near the Newport Beach Pier.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

A woman dressed in a colorful sarong carries a child’s bucket at Crystal Cove State Park at the end of Crescent Bay Drive on the north side of Laguna Beach. There’s a 1,140-acre underwater park offshore for scuba divers.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

A young boy plays in the water at Pirate’s Cove, part of Corona del Mar State Beach. The TV show “Giligan’s Island” was sometimes filmed at this beach.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The tide rolls in over a rocky coastline (caught in a long photo exposure) above cliff-top homes and rocky shoreline near Inspiration Point, south of Corona del Mar State Beach.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Mason Dupont, 6, of Huntington Beach takes in the sights at sunset from a cliff above Pirate’s Cove, part of Corona del Mar State Beach.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Clifton Huang, left, Eric Cheng, Jason House and Brandon Huang are part of the dedicated wave crowd at Crystal Cove State Park.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Some folks just kick back at the area beaches. Matt and Sharon Sloan of Long Beach celebrate their 47th wedding anniversary -- with matching shirts, champagne, flowers and truffels-- and watch a beautiful sunset over the ocean at Inspiration Point, Corona del Mar State Beach.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Flowers line a shaded path that provides a view of a sailboat gliding along Lido Island in Newport Beach.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

A California sea lion basks in the early morning sun after taking over a small boat in the waters off Newport Beach.

For more in this series exploring Southern California’s beaches, visit our Cruising the Coast page.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)