Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Sundial Memorial at Hueneme Beach in Port Hueneme
Just 25 miles west of Thousand Oaks is Hueneme Beach Park, a beautiful 50 acre park on the beach with a fishing pier, bike/walking paths, volleyball, picnic tables, BBQ pits, the Surfside Seafood snack bar and more.
24 hour fishing pier at Hueneme Beach Park
One other feature at Hueneme Beach is the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Sundial Memorial that commemorates the 88 passengers and crew who lost their lives aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 261 near Anacapa Island on January 31, 2000. The flight was en route from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to San Francisco and Seattle.
The Memorial features a 36-foot diameter concrete plaza with a curving sand wall and seating area and a raised sundial in the center.
The Memorial features a 36-foot diameter concrete plaza with a curving sand wall and seating area and a raised sundial in the center. The monument was designed by by well known Santa Barbara sculptor James “Bud” Bottoms. The sundial’s bronze dolphins and triangular blade (gnomon) cast a shadow on the 20-foot diameter dial face oriented to Pacific Standard Time. Names of each of the victims are inscribed on individual bronze plates mounted on the perimeter of the dial.
The crash site is located between the mainland at Port Hueneme and Anacapa Island, one of the smallest islands in the Channel Islands chain, 14 miles offshore. Families of the lost passengers and crew dedicated the sundial as both a memorial to their loved ones and a work of public art in gratitude to the residents of Port Hueneme for their compassion and tireless assistance in the recovery effort. This is a touching and lasting tribute to those who lost their lives on this flight.
Access the Sundial Memorial from Hueneme Beach parking lot B off Surfside Drive near the gazebo. More details at www.ci.port-hueneme.ca.us/index.aspx?nid=930.