Bombay beach

Formed in 1905 when the Colorado River breached an irrigation canal and flooded a desert basin, the Salton Sea became a thriving resort destination. Bombay Beach, a small town on its eastern shore, once drew visitors for boating, fishing, and beach holidays. Flooding and the sea’s ecological decline gradually eroded that resort life, leaving abandoned structures and a receding shoreline. Though 231 residents remained at the 2020 Census, these photographs focus on the remnants of the resort’s past and the strange, surreal landscape left behind.