1. Who manages flying at Marina State Beach?

Marina Beach is a California State Park. For purposes of foot-launched flight, the Coastal Condors serve as the official site steward under agreement with California State Parks and the USHPA. All pilots are guests in the park and should treat the public and the park resources with respect. 

2. What is the Coastal Condors role at Marina?

Our responsibilities include:

  • USHPA

    • Providing USHPA site insurance — without which the site would be closed to foot-launched flight. This cost has gone up considerably so membership financial support is necessary. 

    • Monitoring compliance with USHPA safety standards that ensures pilots can fly legally and safely.

  • State Parks

    • Communicating with California State Parks and other agencies when issues arise.

    • Help educate pilots and preserve the threatened Western Snowy Plover’s dune nesting habitat and respect and distance from the Snowy Plover when nesting.

  • Site Infrastructure

    • Maintain windsock, weather station, info board, sign in, tie downs, and other club related things.

Without Coastal Condors managing these responsibilities, this site would be closed to all flight activity.

3. What should I do if there is an emergency while flying at Marina?

1. Call 911 Immediately

  • Provide your location as:
    Marina State Beach — end of Reservation Road in Marina. 

  • Be ready to describe the incident, exact location, and any injuries.
    If possible, send someone to the parking lot or trailhead to meet emergency responders and guide them to the scene.

  • Help the pilot in need if you are willing. Provide C-Spine support, control bleeding, CPR, help them collect their belongings.

  • Emergency services will drive down the beach to your location from Reservation Road.

2. Notify the Coastal Condors

  • After emergency services have left, please notify the club as soon as it is safe to do so:

    • Email: info@coastalcondors.org

3. File a USHPA Incident Report

  • Once the situation is stable, we ask that a USHPA incident report be submitted by the pilot, a witness, or a club officer.

  • This helps improve safety and protects the club and site:
    👉 ushpa.org/page/incident

4. Is instruction allowed at Marina State Beach?

No. Instruction is only legally allowed at state park sites through a formal concession agreement with California State Parks.

Per State Parks written requirements and per our insurance, flying at Marina requires a minimum H3/P3 rating so student instruction would always be out of the picture. An instructor could only give instruction if no compensation was taken, and they were only instructing H3/P3 + pilots. It is also not legal to collect money outside the park and come into the park to provide a service you are charging for.

Tandem flights for money are commercial activity under State Parks rules and are therefore also prohibited. 

5. Can H2/P2 (Novice) pilots fly at Marina?

No. Marina is a H3/P3 (Intermediate) minimum site, based on coastal wind conditions, launch hazards, public access, and flight dynamics. This rating is enforced as part of our USHPA insurance agreement, written agreement with state parks, and is non-negotiable.

6. What happens if someone breaks the rules?

Violations — including flying without a valid or current USHPA rating, flying in a manner that endangers the public, disturbing threatened Snowy Plover nests, relaunching from dunes that are closed, or attempting to instruct — are logged by the club. Depending on the severity:

  • The pilot may receive a warning or ban from the site.

  • The violation may be reported to USHPA or California State Parks.

  • Repeat offenses could jeopardize access for everyone.

Most Coastal Condors rules are in alignment with California State Parks official rules for flying at Marina aimed at public and pilot safety and preserving our long term ability to fly at the site. State park rangers can cite visitors in the park that break any of those rules. 

7. What if I see someone flying or instructing illegally?

Please let us know at info@coastalcondors.org. Include the pilot’s name, date/time, and any supporting info (photos, video, etc.). All reports are kept confidential and help us maintain safe site access. If you are willing to confront the pilot that is up to you. Be polite and ask them to please respect the site rules. You can contact State Park rangers by calling (831) 649-2836 or 911.

8. Why can the public run on the dune face, but I can’t skim across them with my glider or just hike up and relaunch anywhere I want?

For years, the Coastal Condors have worked closely with State Parks staff to understand and support their goals for protecting the endangered snowy plover nesting and their fragile dune ecosystem. Our agreement reflects that shared understanding:

  • Pilots are only permitted to launch and relaunch from designated dunes. (see posted map on site guide)

  • We are welcome to land anywhere on the flat beach along the full stretch of the flying site.

  • We are not permitted to land, hike or kite up, or skim on the rest of the dune face.

So while it may look like the public is allowed to “run on the dunes,” that activity is discouraged as well — and is often contained to more durable, trail-access areas. But as pilots, we agree to a higher standard, because:

  • We’re operating under a formal understanding with State Parks,

  • Our actions affect whether flying at Marina remains permitted, and

  • We want to model responsible stewardship of the land that makes our sport possible.

Every time we respect this agreement, we’re helping to protect the future of flying at Marina.

9. Is Speed Flying allowed at Marina State Beach?

This is an important distinction — and we want to clarify it fully for the community.

Speed Flying Is a Separate USHPA Rating. USHPA recognizes speed flying as a separate discipline from paragliding. A speed flying rating does not qualify a pilot to fly at Marina.

Speed Flying Behavior Is Not Compatible With Marina. This style of flight causes significant and cumulative erosion, especially when done repeatedly throughout a day or weekend. It’s also not the style of coastal soaring that we’ve agreed to with California State Parks

Speed flying is typically:

  • A fast, aggressive, up-down style of flying,

  • Flown low and close to the terrain,

  • Often done on fragile dune faces that can’t recover from erosion.

We are incredibly lucky to fly at this beautiful site — and it is only possible because we’ve committed, as a USHPA Chapter, to a minimal-impact, ridge-soaring style of flight that avoids damaging the dunes and disturbing the Snowy Plover nesting. See our site guide for maps and more information. Another coastal USHPA site in a state park has lost the ability to fly for most of the year due to perceived disturbance of the snowy plover while nesting. We have had state wildlife biologists ask for help with pilots flying low and or hanging out over snowy plover nesting areas causing birds to abandon their nests. 

10. Are Mini Wings allowed at Marina State Beach

Mini Wings are allowed but Must Be Flown Responsibly. Some mini wings (typically 15–20m²) are flown by P3+ pilots at Marina and are currently allowed with an P3+/ M1 sign off under our rules. However, not all mini wings are appropriate, and we urge pilots to assess the following carefully:

  • Wing loading matters: Mini wings flown lightly loaded behave more like paragliders and can stay aloft in lift bands without aggressive flying. Heavily loaded wings behave more like speed wings — fast, low, and punchy.

  • Glider type is less important than flight style: What matters most is how you fly it.

If you’re flying low, making repeated fast passes up and down the dune face of non approved dunes, or launching from steep, fragile slopes, that behavior is not acceptable, regardless of your wing size and type.

11. Do I need to be a Coastal Condors club member to fly at Marina?

No — but you do need to meet all the site requirements.

You do not need to be a dues-paying member of the Coastal Condors to fly at Marina State Beach. However, you must:

  • Be a current USHPA member,

  • Hold a H3/P3 (or higher) rating,

  • Sign in online each day you fly,

  • Follow all site rules, including respecting the designated launch/relaunch zones and avoiding the dune face.

While club membership is optional, supporting the Coastal Condors helps keep this site open. We maintain the site agreement with the state parks, pay for signage and online systems, and provide the expensive USHPA-required site insurance that allows State Parks to permit foot-launched flight at all.

Want to support the club? You can join or donate at:

👉 coastalcondors.org/membership

12. Can I fly, takeoff, or land anywhere in Fort Ord Dunes State Park?

No. Launching or landing in Fort Ord Dunes State Park is strictly prohibited.

What’s Not Allowed:

  • Launching or landing anywhere within the park boundaries (this includes all dunes, trails, and beach areas).

  • Kiting or ground handling on the dunes or beach within the park.

  • Commercial or instructional activity, as this is California State Park land with no concession in place.

Fort Ord Dunes is a separate park from Marina. State Parks has not granted any permission in that park.

What Is Allowed:

  • Overflight is permitted. Pilots may fly over Fort Ord Dunes at a safe altitude while soaring the coastal ridge per FAA regulations

  • Emergency landings on the beach are tolerated only if absolutely necessary, but you must hike your gear out of the park on foot using designated access points.

13. What about flying at Sand City? Is it part of the Marina flying site?

No. Sand City is not part of the Coastal Condors–managed site and has no official USHPA site designation. It is a separate area with its own set of landowners, agencies, and legal ambiguity.

Not Part of Our Site Agreement

  • Sand City dunes are outside the boundary of Marina State Beach and Fort Ord Dunes State Park.

  • The Coastal Condors do not manage or insure the Sand City site.

  • Any flying, launching, or instructing at Sand City is done at your own risk and without the protections of USHPA site insurance.

Key Distinction:

If you launch at Sand City and land at Marina, you must:

  • Be a current USHPA H3/P3 or higher pilot,

  • Have signed in for Marina that day

  • Land on the flat beach, avoiding all dune face contact.

  • Never land or takeoff anywhere in Fort Ord Dunes State Park.

Otherwise, you are in violation of the State Park and Marina site rules — even if you didn’t launch from there.

14. I’m a foreign visiting pilot — how can I fly at Marina legally?

Welcome! We’re glad you’re interested in flying at Marina State Beach — but you must take a few mandatory steps to fly here legally and safely, as required by USHPA and California State Parks.

Step 1: Get a USHPA Foreign Pilot Membership

You must purchase a USHPA Visiting Pilot Membership, which includes:

  • Temporary USHPA membership and liability insurance (required by our site agreement),

  • Recognition of your foreign rating (based on IPPI equivalency),

  • Coverage for 30 days (can be renewed).

👉 Sign up here: ushpa.org/membership/foreign-pilots

Note: To fly at Marina, your foreign rating must be equivalent to at least a H3/P3 (intermediate) level under the IPPI system. Marina is not a site for novice/student pilots.

Step 2: Sign In Online Each Day You Fly

All pilots must use our online sign-in system to fly at Marina.

👉 Sign in here: coastalcondors.org/sign-in

Make sure to:

  • Enter your USHPA number (from your foreign pilot membership),

  • Check the agreement box confirming you’ve read and understood the site rules.

Step 3: Read and Follow All Site Rules

15.  Do the Coastal Condors maintain a Telegram Chat Group?

No we maintain our website and can be reached at info@coastalcondors.org

There is a Telegram Chat Group for Marina that many pilots are part of, but we are not aware of who maintains it.

16. Someone is walking in the landing zone. How do I tell them to get out of the way?

You must respect that Marina is a public beach and they have every right to use the beach. All pilots must say 25’ away from the public. You must adjust where you are going to land if someone from the public is where you want to land. If they are in the way of your take off, you can kindly ask them if they are willing to move. Never yell at or disrespect the public.