Caught in The Wedge

Marisa O’Neil and Lolita Harper

Waves crashed like thunder at The Wedge Tuesday and drew “oohs” and

“aahs” worthy of a first-rate fireworks show.

Tuesday’s high temperature of 72 didn’t beat the record-breaking

76 of Monday, but 15- to 20-foot waves brought throngs of observers

to the peninsula’s most famous break. Dozens of brave bodysurfers and

bodyboarders faced the steep, powerful waves, which sent at least one

person to the hospital.

“It gets my adrenaline going just watching these guys,” Murrietta

resident Doug McGilvery said as he stood on the beach. “Oooh! He was

hanging in the air,” he added as a bodyboarder got thrown over a

wave.

Brian Sunday, of Seal Beach, was equally impressed.

“[The Wedge] is really hard to surf,” Sunday said. “You have to

have a death wish for that.”

John Robbins, who was still dripping wet, said it was more about

living than cheating death. The 20-year-old bodyboarder from Los

Angeles said he heard the waves were huge and came down to test his

skills.

“It’s pretty gnarly,” Robbins said. “The waves are heavy and it’s

all walled-up -- it makes for an intense experience.”

Down the beach a bit, 16-year-old Patrick Drayer sat on the edge

of his bodyboard, watching the mammoth waves. He and his friend drove

up from San Clemente but, after seeing the waves in person, had

second thoughts about going out.

“I didn’t know it was going to be so big,” he said quietly. “I’ve

seen a lot of good rides.”

He watched as a bodyboarder skimmed across the face of a wave,

which barreled and then closed in on him, prompting sympathetic

winces from the crowd.

One person suffered a shoulder injury during a wipeout, Newport

Beach fire Capt. Mike Murphy said, and was taken to the hospital.

Trevor Ellis, 24, drove down from Redondo Beach for the chance to

challenge The Wedge. He contended that The Wedge’s bark was worse

than its bite.

“It’s not as big as it looks,” he said. “It’s kind of friendly.

There’s a couple of big [waves] but it’s not as chaotic as it was

this morning.”

San Clemente resident Bryan Noyes said he surfed his local break

in the morning, then drove up to watch the action on his day off.

“It’s notorious for getting big waves with south swells,” he said

of The Wedge. “It’s the place to be.”

A high-surf advisory will continue through Thursday afternoon,

according to the National Weather Service, but the heat wave will

wane a bit. Coastal highs for the rest of the week are expected to be

in the 70s and in the 80s inland.

Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport saw record highs Monday. The

airport broke its 1992 record of 88 with a high of 90 and Newport

Beach edged out its 1992 record of 75 by one degree.

Both fell short on Tuesday of previous records, with highs of 72

at the beach and 90 at the airport. Santa Ana saw a record high of

100 degrees.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at [email protected]. LOLITA HARPER is

the Forum editor. She also writes columns Wednesdays and Fridays. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or by e-mail at

[email protected].