Cold Water Coast Pin Drop 2: Humboldt Bay Social Club
Two weeks after the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor a Japanese submarine torpedoed a tanker ship less than 2 miles off the coast Humboldt County, California. A new reality was setting in on US soil. The war had arrived.
As an immediate countermeasure to the attack, the Navy quickly mobilized anti-submarine patrols operating out of Humboldt Bay, west of Eureka, CA. By 1943, the Navy had constructed the Naval Auxiliary Air Facility (NAAF) in Samoa, CA. The small town of Samoa sits on the north western peninsula which forms the northern outer edge of Humboldt Bay. The Navy, over the course of the next 2 years, would operate 2 anti-submarine blimps from this facility. The blimp base was short-lived given the challenges of the Northern Californian climate and it’s near constant fog and wind.
The NAAF would continue to operate in various capacities over the course of the next several decades before settling into a publicly available airfield for small planes in the 1970’s. During the 1970s the blimp officer quarters were converted into a rustic B&B for weary pilots. Long after the literal “air B&B” had shuttered, Humboldt Bay Social Club renovated the compound and kicked off the blimp base’s newest chapter as a destination for locals and out-of-towners alike.
Morning light illuminates the lingering fog surrounding Humboldt Bay Social Club’s pilot’s quarters and blimp hangers.
While we at Cold Water Coast prefer to pitch our own camp, we do, occasionally, splurge for the right experience. First off, the town of Samoa, CA is effectively the opposite of its namesake, the nation of Samoa, an equatorial country with an annual average temperature of 80ºF. Isolated on its own peninsula, Humboldt Bay Social Club offers everything we truly value. It’s rural, rustic, historical and offers amenities like fire pits, soaking tubs, and a cool “Lobby Bar” featuring a seasonal menu including local oysters. You can grill a bag of oysters at one of a number of grills and picnic tables. The four, self-check-in converted pilot’s quarters are unique and, though updated, each give a glimpse to their original state. And dogs…dogs are welcome and encouraged.
Humboldt Bay Social Club also offers cabins for longer term reservations (30 days) at their Oyster Beach property just across the street. Oyster Beach sits directly on Humboldt Bay. I’ve stayed in the “Loft” for an extended time. I used it as a retreat to focus on writing and my photography. The Oyster Beach property is a great place for a retreat. Whether writing the next great novel to launching your second act, it’s an ideal place totally disconnect…but of course wi-fi is readily available.
There's a ton to do in the immediate vicinity of the Humboldt Bay Social Club. About a mile away sits the North Jetty at the opening to Humboldt Bay. The jetty is massive and juts out way into the Pacific Ocean. While you can walk out on the jetty, it's not advised given sneaker waves that have been known to pull a couple people into the water every year. There's a vast expanse of dunes where you can do any kind of off-roading you want. And you can freely drive your car or truck onto the beach…just don’t get stuck. If you're curious about the jetty and its 150-year-old history, you can go to this link to read a piece I wrote last year.
Humboldt Bay itself offers a rich and diverse population of birds. Bring a pair of binoculars and get your bird nerd on over at the Oyster Beach side of the club. The town of Eureka is about a 10-minute drive away and offers a good variety of restaurants and bars. Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions about the Humboldt Bay Social Club. It's a truly unique experience, and I highly recommend it.
Assorted Images from my time at Oyster Beach
An aerial animation of Humboldt Bay Social Club nestled into the dunes on the Samoa, CA north peninsula.
LtoR: 1) Grilling oysters outside at the Lobby Bar 2) An old hanger which has been converted to event space 3) Converted pilots quarters 4) HBSC’s converted hangar
Before I go, I’d like to drop a pin on DeliciousSaltBagels, the creative pursuit of my good friend, Chris Clark. Chris uses a salt bagel metaphor to describe his perspective while tucked into a tasty Pacific shore break. He’s taken his affection for body surfing, water photography and a very recognizable bridge to the next level with an artsy line of greeting cards and larger wall-hanger prints bearing a variety of beautiful images captured in a cold water cauldron. You can find these cards at a variety of small businesses including Mollusk Surf Shop and San Franpsycho. And I’m sure he’d be happy to send them out from his home office - hit him up on his IG handle. Stay hungry my friends.
