An oil slick was recently spotted approaching the ocean off a California beach.
This week, a video of a large, approximately 100 to 200-foot-long oil slick on a beach approaching the ocean was shared by nonprofit Heal the Ocean. The beach shown in the video is Butterfly Beach, which is based in Montecito, California.
This blob of oil has come ashore in areas including Butterfly Beach, Hammonds and Miramar in Montecito and Santa Claus beach near Carpinteria. It is possibly the one from offshore Sands Beach near Isla Vista that’s been on the move from about a week ago. (video: Harry Rabin / Heal the Ocean) pic.twitter.com/tPlPdreKo3
— John Palminteri (@JohnPalminteri) June 1, 2026
Video captured by Harry Rabin / Heal the Ocean
Other residents have reported spotting oil slicks at Rosewood Miramar Beach and Hammonds as well.
Harry Rabin, a research and field adviser for the nonprofit, told edhat that given the wind and currents, depicted by the NOAA related website, it would likely put the area where these bands of oil originated as somewhere south of Coal Oil Point and in proximity to the seeps and offshore oil rig Platform Holly.
After receiving various reports, this past weekend, the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response sent officials to investigate.
After investigating, the team concluded that the oil slicks remained consistent with natural seeps.
However, some residents and environmental advocates believe additional sources may be contributing to the oil slicks.
In Montecito and surrounding areas, residents have had to deal with offshore wells spilling tar and oil for decades.
This is because when many of the wells, originally built in the 1800s, were shut down through the 1940s, they were improperly capped.
A significant portion of these wrongly capped wells are located near Montecito, where Butterfly Beach is located and where the most oil was discovered this week.
In the mid-1980s alone, the California State Lands Commission discovered 400+ coastal hazards, “many of which are on state and local beaches and in coastal areas that the public uses. Their presence is inherently at odds with safe beach access for recreation, fishing, surfing, swimming, kiteboarding, and other popular public activities.”
These coastal hazards included well casings and well caissons, alongside dangers like cables, railroad irons, angle bars, pipelines, riprap, wood beams, and pipes.
When wells leak, this can lead to groundwater contamination, declining air quality, contributing to climate change, and uncontrolled gas release.
People exposed to these dangers may face respiratory issues, neurological issues, or even cancer in some cases.
As many wells are still leaking, Heal the Ocean is helping the California State Lands Commission identify them, Rabin told edhat. They assist in locating the biggest emitting wellheads considered for abandonment and capping.
[Ed Note: This article has been updated with corrected statements from Harry Rabin.]
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It was horrible this weekend at Padaro Beach. My sandals have an inch of tar on the bottom.
Thanks, Sable.
Miramar – a beach which rarely gets tarry – was the worst I have ever seen it on Sunday. Saturday the beach was perfectly clean as always, and by Sunday it had rolled in. On the beach, in the water, everywhere. Natural seepage is ramping back up since we’re capping oil wells. Prove me wrong by showing documentation of an active oil rig spill. The NGO’s should have already flown some drones, airplanes, and chartered boats desperately looking for a shot to document something which doesn’t exist.
I bet the Miramar Hotel, Biltmore, Bacara, etc etc owners and their guests aren’t real thrilled. It kinda sucks for business. Beachgoers arent to thrilled either.
It’s called you reap what you sow.
Exactly – reaping what is sown by extracting petroleum in a poorly-regulated, profit over people manner.
Which part of “improperly capped wells” did you not understand?
What part of “After investigating, the team concluded that the oil slicks remained consistent with natural seeps.” did you not understand?? Cmon man.
Apparently one needs an IQ above room temperature to understand that “consistent with X” does not imply “caused by X”. And “remained” suggests that this is on the outer edge of consistency, raising the probability of other causes.
BASIC – yes or no question: Is seepage caused by improperly capped wells “natural?”
Actually, it’s called “read the article,” especially the part talking about poorly capped wells causing excess oil like this.
“Natural seepage is ramping back up since we’re capping oil wells. Prove me wrong”
Prove yourself right, troll.
> It’s called you reap what you sow.
If that happened then just imagine the fate of you, Trump, the executives of Sable, Exxon, et. al., and other right wingers.
You know what types of energy extraction/production/end use does NOT cause cancer and pollute coastlines like this? Yep.
Once again, poorly capped wells are NOT “natural seepage.”