connect into one contiguous ridable wave. Because of the quality of the wave, people travel from all over the world to surf there, sometimes resulting in extremely crowded surfing conditions. There have been occasional deaths at Rincon, mostly resulting from surfers getting caught at the bottom of the cove at higher tides during larger swells and getting thrown into the granite boulders which support the nearby freeway. Environmentally, Rincon Creek has a tendency to flow higher levels of bacteria into the surf zone during heavy rains, resulting in occasional beach closures. History In 1769, the Spanish Portola expedition came west along the beach from the previous night's encampment at Pitas Point. The explorers found a large native village at a watering place near the mouth what is now called "Rincon Creek", and camped nearby on August 16. Fray Juan Crespi, a Franciscan missionary travelling with the expedition, noted that "As soon as we arrived all the people came to visit us, and brought us a great supply of roasted fish to eat" The 1775 (second) expedition led by Juan Bautista de Anza camped at the same place, referring to the native village as "La Rinconada". In 1835, the area was included in a land grant called Rancho El Rincon. The grant extended along the coast on both sides of the Santa Barbara/Ventura county line, and encompassed present-day Rincon Point, Rincon State Beach and La Conchita. See also Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail References Geography of Santa Barbara County, California Geography of Ventura County, California Surfing locations in California Populated coastal places in California