Big waves draw a crowd to the Wedge in Newport
Massive waves continued thundering toward the Newport Beach shoreline Monday, adding to a busy time for the city’s lifeguards, who over the weekend pulled 17 people from the heavy surf churned up by a storm near New Zealand.
But cloudy weather and cold water meant there were more spectators than swimmers Monday morning at the Wedge, Newport Beach’s most famous surf spot.
About 150 people crowded the shore, cheering when surfers caught massive waves or groaning when they wiped out. A red flag signaling dangerous conditions flew above the lifeguard tower at the Wedge, warning people to think twice before entering the surf.
Robbie Pugh drove from Yorba Linda with her husband, John, and dog, Bear, to see the spectacle.
“We just came for the fun to watch,” she said before interrupting the conversation to wait for a bodyboarder to reappear after a wave drove him under the surface.
As of 10 a.m. Monday, lifeguards had rescued two more beachgoers, lifeguard Reed Honrath said.
One was a 12-year-old who injured his thumb; the other was a bodyboarder who had trouble making it back to shore after he lost his board, Honrath said.
“You get people down here that are oblivious to the risk,” he said.
Dozens of surfers and bodyboarders braved 15-foot surf at the Wedge on Monday morning. When a big wave formed, they would hop up and try to ride the giant before the thunderous surf crashed on top of them, knocking them into the sea foam.
Much of a lifeguard’s job over the weekend consisted of warning people before they had a chance to get in trouble in the water.
“We had close to 1,000 preventative actions,” said Chief Lifeguard Rob Williams. “We try to identify people and talk to them before they get in the water.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol and Newport Beach lifeguards responded to a report of a man with a spinal injury Sunday afternoon in large surf at China Cove in Corona del Mar, according to a report by Corona del Mar Today. The man was taken to the Harbor Patrol’s emergency dock, but further details were unavailable.
In March, the last time major swells hit Newport, sunny skies and abnormally warm water meant crowds flocked to the beach and lifeguards had to rescue 185 people in one weekend.
This past weekend, however, most people in the water were experienced surfers or bodyboarders wearing wetsuits, Williams said.
“One of the key factors is the water temperature is down a little bit, less than 60 [degrees],” he said.
Surf forecasters expect the large waves to taper off Monday and Tuesday, but Williams said swells of 8 to 10 feet were still hitting the beaches Monday morning. As always, the surf was bigger at the Wedge, he added.
Bodysurfer Dare Stolba watched other wave riders as he strapped on his fins near the jetty. The 65-year-old Huntington Beach resident has been bodysurfing the Wedge since 1963. Though Monday’s waves weren’t the largest he’s seen, the thrill of the swell lured him to the beach anyway.
“It’s the truest form of riding the wave,” he said of bodysurfing, in which the rider skims the waves without a board. “It’s truly an addiction.”
A high-surf advisory from the National Weather Service is in effect until 11 p.m. Tuesday.