Why is The Ocean Off of California So Cold?

Nearly everyone grimaces when they get in waste deep into the frigid ocean off the coast of California. It's not surprising since the water is typically in the fifties or sixties and doesn't warm up until roughly August. It's just cold.

Apparently, it all has to do with wind and currents. I don't claim to completely understand it but the theory goes something like this. There is a strong stream of wind that blows down from the Northwest, driving the California current Southward but also forcing the surface water away from the coast creating a strong upwelling of cold, nutrient rich water along the Pacific Coast. The manner in which the cold water is brought up to the surface (via a coriolis effect) is called the Eckman Transport. That cold upwelling creates tremendous abundance of life all up and down the California coast as nutrient rich water streams up from the deep ocean floor, first feeding phytoplankton (tiny plants and algae) which are in turn food for zooplankton (tiny animals) which get eaten by little fish and crustaceans and then by bigger fish, mammals and other larger critters (such as people!).