Seven-year-old Noah Moralez came from San Jose to cool off in the lagoon at Main Beach in Santa Cruz. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
Main Beach was a popular spot Thursday as temperatures soared toward triple digits. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
The Chardonnay II sails past Main Beach as visitors seeking to beat the heat cooled off. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
Cameron Bell, 5, zeroes in on dad Rian as they cooled off at Main Beach in Santa Cruz. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
Meanwhille, it was a sweltering Thursday for agricultural workers in the fields of Watsonville. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
Shade was at a premium Thursday in downtown Santa Cruz as temperatures shot into the 90s. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
Lyly Ho brought son Noel Moralez, 1, from San Jose to enjoy a little dip in the San Lorenzo River at Main Beach in Santa Cruz. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
Keeping cool was all about making a splash at Main Beach in Santa Cruz on Thursday. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
Miguel Ruiz, 11, from San Jose found himself a chill spot at Main Beach in Santa Cruz on Thursday. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
Capitola Beach was the place to be Thursday for surfers of all ages. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
Capitola Beach lifeguard Ian Richardson, a recent transplant from Santa Monica, had plenty to keep an eye on Thursday as crowds flocked to the shore in search of relief from the heat. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
The heat wave sweeping California made Thursday a particularly good day for ice cream in Capitola Village for 6-year-old Daxton Marin of San Jose. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
Parrot Elvis was happy to have left his building Thursday, taking in the sights and sounds at cool Capitola Beach. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
With temperatures soaring Thursday in Santa Cruz, Jasper Zion rests in the shade in the San Lorenzo Park benchlands encampment.
