We did manage to make it to “The Wedge” for an afternoon of photos. As we were snapping (and taping, in T’s case), we noticed the waves getting bigger and bigger and bigger. At one point, I was completely oblivious to the waves, so focused was I on getting the sandpipers in mid-air…it wasn’t until after I was almost knocked over by the wave rolling in when I took this photo that I decided to pay more attention to the surf than the birds! I escaped just in the nick of time.
The Wedge is an amazing accident. When the powers that be decided to build a jetty so that Newport Harbor could be born, they didn’t realize that the jetty would cause a ” wave bounce”. On the Harbor side of the jetty, it’s nice and calm and the boats all come and go easily.
On the ocean side of the jetty, the waves roll in at a slight angle, hit the jetty and bounce back, causing them to double in size FAST. The waves are then coming from both sides, merging together in the middle in this incredible wave that breaks right on shore. There is no roll, no ride. Just slam.
This place is a favorite for body surfers who are insane. They have either been slammed one too many times on the bottom of the ocean floor or the salt water has swollen their brain. One way or the other, they are absolutely crazy. If you look carefully at the top photo you’ll see a person tucked just inside the left-hand curl, getting ready to be slammed by the right-hand curl. And here’s the slam:
See the guy running? He’s got it exactly right…you do NOT want to be caught in that slam.
These waves are like my worst nightmare, rolling and slamming. Except in my nightmares, I don’t get away, they just keep rolling and slamming. That’s one nightmare I can do without right now, but I can sense it coming just around the corner, as work deadlines and school deadlines merge into this giant, unmanageable….
SLAM.
