Woman goes to a public beach in San Diego. Then a man tries to intimidate her into moving: ‘Apparently his job is beach’

Going to the beach for the Fourth of July is a tried-and-true tradition for many Americans. It remains one of the most popular destinations to watch fireworks later in the evening or even relax during the day. But not everyone can celebrate by the water. Most beaches fill up quickly, which leaves little room for those that don’t arrive early.

One woman prepared in advance and arrived. Then she was asked to leave by a man despite grabbing the spot first. The reason why? He reportedly had a group of “150 people” coming to the beach.

Hayley Roth (@hayleyroth21) said that after arriving at Windansea beach, settling down, and setting up a blue tent, a group approached her and told her they were going to use the space. Roth recorded the man as he told her a large group was coming.

He added that “ it might be an inconvenience” and that “ it’s kind of [their] zone,” which hinted that he wanted Roth’s group to leave. Later on, Roth clarified that she overheard the man discussing pushing her group out of the area.

As of this writing, Roth’s post discussing the incident has more than 17.2 million views. She’s since posted subsequent updates regarding the situation.

Why did a group try to push her away from her location?

Roth arrived at Windansea Beach at 8 a.m. with her group, and they claimed a spot for the Fourth of July. But hours later, a man approached her to let her know that he wanted the space.

The man told Roth, “Just a heads up, this whole zone, there’s gonna be, like, 150 people down here in, like, an hour and a half. We set up at this zone, like, every year.”

When Roth told the man that she had people coming as well, he told her it was “kind of [their] zone.” Roth then explained that by that point, her large group had been there for a few hours. But this didn’t change his position. Instead, the man said there was “a chair” near the area that marked the location for his group. Roth claimed there was never a chair.

He continued and said, “ You guys are good for now…  it might be an inconvenience to you. Just, just a heads up.”

In a follow-up video, Roth said she overheard a man in the other group saying they were going to try and force her group out. “ We definitely heard him talking to this guy right here, uh, that he was gonna make us leave, or he was gonna force us to leave or something,” Roth said. But she didn’t end up budging. 

Her group stayed at the beach till 4 p.m., and then left.

What’s the significance of Windansea?

Windansea is a popular beach spot for good reason. Since the 1910s, the beach has been a popular destination for locals. It attracted a specific demographic—surfers, rebels and longstanding community members. But the beach also has a longstanding history of localism, especially when it comes to welcoming newcomers.

“Locals made it clear outsiders weren’t welcome at Windansea, whether surfing newbies or tourists,” La Jolla’s website says. This legacy has lasted up into the 2020s. In 2022, the website reported that a fight broke out between surfers in the area. In addition, the beach has previously sported signage banning newcomers from visiting. Windansea, then, can be a hot spot for territorial beach maneuvers, despite being a public beach.

@hayleyroth21

Turf wars at windansea 4th of July ?

♬ original sound – hayleyroth

Was the man allowed to bring ‘150 people’ to Windansea?

Notably, Roth said the man claimed to have a group of “150 people.” But are average people allowed to bring large groups to Windansea without permits or prior notice?

There’s no specific rule that states members of the public can “reserve” beaches for themselves. Famously, a former L.A. police officer and a model sued a surfing group known as the “Bay Boys,” due to harassment. The “Bay Boys” were accused of impeding others’ ability to access the water as they were trying to protect “their” surfing spot. The suit was settled in 2024, but it highlighted an important fact—beaches in California are public amenities, not private areas. 

In a follow-up video, Roth clarified that “we for sure did not have 150 people. Luckily, they did not either. They had about 15 people.”

The Mary Sue has reached out to Roth via TikTok direct message for comment.

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