Last month, I attended a Port of San Diego public meeting during which I spoke briefly with the CEO, Randa Coniglio. She told me, offhand, that a director in the Port’s records department had stumbled across boxes containing tons of old photographs of San Diego’s waterfront, including aerial photos, candid portraits, tuna fishermen in action, sunbathers and hundreds of others — including a giant shark caught in the bay.

Being a photographer and lover of all things old and musty, I asked to see them. The port obliged.

These are some of my favorites.

Shameless plug: If you’re interested in a deep dive into the history of San Diego’s waterfront — and why it looks the way it does today — check out my story from April.