Monday BD and I got up at 6AM, grabbed a Starbucks and headed to The Wedge with our respective recording devices (camera for me; video camera for him) and were treated to a wonderful couple of hours watching guys with very large balls and very small body boards riding some of the biggest waves I’ve ever seen there. We guessed that the waves in these photos were about 20 feet, and they weren’t the biggest.
The Wedge is different from any other popular bodysurfing beach because these guys are managing two waves which converge in one spot. Because of the way the beach faces, the surf rolls in at an angle, but it also bounces off of the jetty on the south side. When the waves moving southward meet up with the northward bounce, there’s twice the water and force coming together in one place, and that place is very, very close to shore. The ones brave enough to go after these waves understand that they run the risk of being slammed against the bottom when the wave breaks. It’s enough of an adrenaline rush to watch them — I can only imagine how they feel.
Technorati Tags: The Wedge, travel, Newport Beach, surf, surfriders, bodyboarding
