Swell Saturdays: Horrific Wipeouts and Open Tubes @ The Wedge, CA Last Week

A rare, big, south, summer swell rolled into California last week and lite up The Wedge at Newport Beach, California.

“The Wedge is a surfing, bodyboarding and bodysurfing spot located at the extreme east end of the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, California. During a south swell of the right size and direction, the Wedge can produce huge waves up to 30 feet (9.1 m) high.” – wikipedia

The Wedge is nothing if it’s not a show.  People gather in the hundreds to watch the glory and, more commonly, vengence that the wave dishes out.  The wedge is so bizarre and unpredictable that dropping in there is spinning the roulette wheel, you just have no idea what you’re gonna get.

“When conditions are right, and a wave approaches the shore at the proper angle (most generally a south swell), an approaching wave will reflect off the jetty creating a second wave. The reflected wave meets up with the following wave of the set and forms a peak, and this pattern can repeat for several following waves as well. The combined effect of the reflected wave and the incoming wave creates a combined wave much larger than either of the two separate waves and occurs very rapidly and forms waves in a very unpredictable and “unstable” pattern, so that no two waves are alike and the exact breaking point is difficult to predict even for an experienced surfer.” – wikipedia