Big waves stir up caution, excitement at beaches

Lifeguards are keeping a close eye on huge swells generated by Hurricane Marie that have begun battering the Southern California coastline this week as surfers size up what are expected to be the summer’s biggest breaks.

As the swells peak Wednesday, waves as large as 25 feet could hit spots that typically see large surf, such as the Wedge in Newport Beach, experts said. Meanwhile, beaches that typically see waves in the 8- to 12-foot range could see breaks of about 15 feet.

A high-surf advisory will be in effect for Southern California until Friday evening, the National Weather Service said.

Newport Beach lifeguard Skeeter Leeper looked out the window Tuesday at waves rolling onto the beach at 18th Street. “There comes a big one right now,” he said. “That may be our biggest set of the day just now.”

He briefly debated with his partner whether the waves were 10 or 12 feet high. Either way, Leeper said, the surf was getting bigger as the day wore on.

Between noon and about 2:30 p.m., lifeguards made about 25 rescues, he said.

Newport Beach lifeguard Battalion Chief Jim Turner said Monday that he expected the surf to “give us a pretty good, strong punch” but that much will depend on how the storm moves.

Last weekend, Turner said, large surf generated by Tropical Storm Lowell made for a busy couple of days, with more than 100 rescues Saturday and about 75 on Sunday — approximately double what the department would typically see late in the season.

While experienced swimmers and surfers who hit the beach equipped with fins and an understanding of rip currents and other ocean hazards would “probably be in pretty good shape,” Turner said most people would be better off staying on the shore.

“The gist is, if you’re not a strong, strong aquatics person with fins, come down and watch from the safety of the shore,” he said.

The expected waves are larger than most surfers can handle, said TK Brimer, who owns the local Frog House surf shop. The swells were prompting surfers to explore spots where the break is smaller, like “Ray Bay” in Seal Beach and Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, Brimer said Monday.

Weather experts have warned residents of low-lying areas to prepare for potential coastal flooding.

Meanwhile, anticipation was building among surfers in Newport Beach, Brimer said. Many had planned to head for the 18th Street beach at daybreak Tuesday, hoping for pipeline waves — classic barreling Hawaiian-style waves. Others probably would consider the Wedge, he said.

“This is when the young warriors show up and prove themselves to the older warriors,” Brimer said. “Reputations are produced and ruined on these kinds of swells.”

Still, he said, “it’s never here until you see it.”

Hurricanes are fickle, agreed bodysurfer Kevin “Mel” Thoman, who said he had been disappointed by the promise of big, storm-generated waves before. But if the conditions are right, “that’s some of the best Wedge you can get,” he said.

“Everyone is really stoked and pumped up for this puppy,” Thoman said. “Everybody who even remotely is interested, especially in the Wedge, is like waiting with bated breath.”

Marie, which was once a Category 5 hurricane with 160 mph winds, has weakened in recent days. It was about 900 miles south of Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon, moving northwest in the Pacific.