Normally that description is reserved for the fall, when thousands gather in the seaside locale for Halloween debauchery, but a recent phenomenon known as Floatopia has officials concerned about safety issues and environmental damage.
A crowd estimated at between 10,000 and 12,000 people gathered along the beach and in the water in the 6500 block of Del Playa Drive on Saturday afternoon, a number that Lt. Brian Olmstead of the Isla Vista Foot Patrol said is two to three times larger than last year.
“There was a lot of drinking going on, a lot of underage, irresponsible drinking,” he said.
Authorities took at least a dozen people to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. Others made their own way to the hospital after they sliced open their feet on broken glass.
“We had fights, we had people throwing bottles and debris from the balconies above the beach,” Olmstead said, adding that one woman had her head split open by a falling glass bottle and was taken to the hospital.
In addition to a dozen foot patrol officers, deputies from Goleta and officers from the UC Santa Barbara police department responded to handle the crowd during the peak hours of the event, authorities said.
Officials called out four county fire engines and two ambulances, as well as a search and rescue crew and the fire department’s rescue helicopter, to keep an eye on the revelers.
“Mainly, we’re there to provide safety in case something happens on the water, in case there needs to be a rescue,” County Fire Capt. David Sadecki said.
While the majority of partiers remained on the shore, a large group of people made their way into the water on rafts and other flotation devices, Olmstead said.
Due to safety concerns about water currents and winds, he said dozens of rescue personnel had to be pulled in from other areas.
“We probably had 20 county firefighters that ended up getting assigned to the incident,” Olmstead said. “One of the things that’s important to note is that they were forced to redistribute their units around so in some places they were without their normally assigned fire engine. This event had an impact on the county as a whole.”
Providing law enforcement and safety personnel to monitor the event and handle any incidents probably used up tens of thousands of dollars, he said. Partygoers started making their way down to the beach at 11:30 a.m. and the festivities didn’t wind up until after 6 p.m., authorities said.
When the crowds did disperse, they left behind food, broken bottles, cans, shoes, towels and even wood from homemade rafts, Olmstead said.
“The destruction on the beach, the amount of trash on the beach was just disgusting,” he said.
Particularly galling was the fact that many students consider themselves an eco-friendly population, he said, adding that he is disappointed in those who left trash behind.
A handful of people remained to pick up garbage and a few environmental groups roamed along the beach the following day.
“A lot of it was washing out into the ocean,” Olmstead said. “It was really sad and disgusting.”
Authorities are already reviewing video footage taken during the event and planning strategies to address the new annual party.
Olmstead said Floatopia is a relatively recent phenomenon, springing up in the last five years or so. He said officials will be looking into staffing issues, educational opportunities and ordinances to enforce, similar to how law enforcement approaches Halloween in Isla Vista.
“This is actually almost kind of more dangerous [than Halloween],” Olmstead said. “Down on the beach, you have the ocean and the surf zone and people going in and out of the water on flimsy rafts or wrestling on rafts and everybody is drunk. … There is an easy possibility of people drowning and not even being noticed.”
Editor's Note: This story has been updated from an earlier version.