The location: The Secluded Sailing Cove.


Q. What is it supposed to be on the show?

    A. A secluded, rocky beach.


Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show?

    A. The exact location isn't mentioned, but most likely near Newport Beach.


Q. When did we see it on the show?

    A. In Episode 1 (of the third season), "The Aftermath".

    Ryan, Marissa, Seth & Summer are feeling pressure, due to Marissa having shot Trey, the fact that Trey is blaming Ryan for the shooting, and the fact that both of them could be arrested, expelled, or both...

    So to ease the tension of an uncertain future, they take Jimmy's sailboat (the Slow Dance) and go out sailing.

    Eventually, they go ashore at a secluded cove where the two couples relax, talk, kiss, roast marshmallows over a fire, goof off and frolic on the beach until the sun goes down.


  • Ironically, the nearby beach parking lot was used for an earlier scene in the same episode, where Marissa is sitting on the beach when Ryan arrives and tells her that Trey is now awake in the hospital.

  • We see the same rocky beach again in Epidode 3 (of season three), when Ryan and Marissa are walking on the beach, after Marissa has found her dad (Jimmy) badly beaten up by loan sharks.


Q. What is it actually in real life?

    A. It's a rocky beach, but not in Newport.


Q. Where can I find it in real life?

    A. The actual sailing scenes were shot in the Pacific just east of Point Dume.

    The secluded cove scenes were shot nearby, on the beach at the base of the rugged cliffs at the southeast end of Westward Beach (next to Zuma Beach), on the west side of Point Dume, in Malibu.

    • This same rocky beach was also seen in Episode 8 (of the third season), "The Game Plan", where Johnny enters the surfing tournament - and is hit by a car. That big surf fest was staged on this same beach.

    • And the same beach parking lot was used again in season 4, for the final episode's scene in which Summer says goodbye to Seth at a bus stop.

Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?

    A. The dramatic cliff face seen in the opening shot of the surfing contest scene is rather memorable. And the unique rocks at the base of that cliff are clearly seen in the beach scenes in this episode.



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