SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — News 8's Shawn Style received a text from a friend of his, Josh Thomas who's a kayak guide at La Jolla Shores, about a lot of tar washing up on the beach.
"A lot of tar... natural tar that leaks up from the seafloor, washes up on shore," said Josh Thomas.
Thomas first spotted the tar over the weekend.
"Three, four days ago, my father and I walked on the beach and I stepped in it and I was like yuck!" said Thomas.
Since then, he's found nearly 10 pounds. Styles and Thomas were taking a walk on the beach looking for the tar and it didn't take long to spot tar balls.
"Oh, wow there's some, Shawn you've got the eye of a tar man... I made it up and I love it," said Thomas.
Styles put in a call to lifeguards who spoke with Scripps and confirmed that the tar washing up at La Jolla Shores was from natural occurring seepage. But it is still making a mess of the beach.
"This is from a collection from a 15-minute walk, mixed with face masks. You can see how much there is," said Thomas, as he showed Styles how much tar he's collected on their walk on the beach.
And Styles and Thomas found plenty as well.
"Here are bigger ones, the further you walk down this way the bigger they get. Yesterday, I found one the size of a dinner plate." Thomas said.
If you are walking on the beach and do step in the tar, the clean-up is easy with baby oil. Put a little baby oil on a paper towel and use it to rub off the tar and it will come right off.
Thomas will be hosting a public beach clean-up on Monday, August 30 at 6 p.m. at the boat launch ramp at La Jolla Shores.
WATCH RELATED: Pounds of tar balls washing up at La Jolla Shores (August 2021)