Jack, a Labradoodle owned by Susan and Howard Schwartz of Santa Cruz, basks in the Utah sun for a photo that will be featured on the spine of an upcoming AAA travel guide. (Contributed photo/Howard Schwartz)

A PG&E employee inspects a utility pole next to a small mud slide on Freedom Blvd. near Hames Road on Wednesday. The slide closed one lane of the road during the morning commute while a county road crew cleared the debris. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)

Ben Coffey of Mission Hill Middle School tries to make the most of small conditions Sunday in Capitola as he pumps his way across the wave face during the CORE Scholastic Surf match. Photo by Dan Coyro.

Elle Sanders steals the ball for Santa Cruz. Photo by Shmuel Thaler

A sea gull flies above the orange-tinted water of Soquel Creek in Capitola Village on Friday. Photo by Shmuel Thaler.

This 11-week-old sea otter is the youngest ever displayed at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Eleni and Vasili Panagiotopoulos wade in the water at Cowell Beach on Wednesday. Photo by Robinson Kuntz.

Former Maverick's champion and Santa Cruz surfer Anthony Tashnick leaves a trailing rainbow as he drops in front of a huge barrel during the second heat of Saturday's big wave contest. Tashnick eventually made it to the final heat.

In the most spectacular wipe out of the Maverick's contest Saturday, Ion Banner gets blown off the wave face during the first heat. His board was snaps in two pieces. (Dan Coyro/Sentinel)

Kenny 'Skindog' Collins of Santa Cruz races down the face of a Maverick's monster during the second semifinal heat last Saturday. (Dan Coyro/Sentinel