Big Waves Leap Out of Nowhere

Impressive waves--some as big as 10 feet--thundered onto Orange County beaches Wednesday, in some cases catching swimmers by surprise.

Two swimmers in Laguna Beach were taken to local hospitals with moderate neck and back injuries after sets of six-foot waves emerged from a seemingly calm sea and sent them plunging into the sand, lifeguards said.

Waves as big as nine feet are expected today.

The National Weather Service warned people fishing or sightseeing near the surf today to be prepared for occasional, larger-than-usual waves washing over previously dry areas.

“It does not appear that beach property will be threatened,” the weather service added.

The forecast was for diminishing surf beginning Friday as the effects of a South Pacific storm begin to wane. The storm, far out to sea and near the Equator, has been sending south-to-southeast swells against the Southern California coast.

The swells have been causing the large waves at shore, but not a continuous parade of them.

“What happens is, we put out the yellow flag (indicating moderately dangerous surf), but it gets real calm for a while,” said Laguna Beach lifeguard Kristi Farley. “It looks like a calm day, so people who don’t know the beach think they can handle it. A lot of these people are tourists who haven’t even seen surf before.

“They go out and then a set (of big waves) comes in, and they get caught in the impact zone. They come right over the top of the wave--we call it going over the

falls--and they slam into maybe two feet of water. It’s like slamming into concrete.”

The biggest waves Wednesday--an estimated 10 feet--were reported at Newport Beach.

Huntington Beach State Park lifeguards reported rescuing at least 60 swimmers.

“This is our second south swell of the summer, and it’s the largest so far,” said Dan Kennedy, a lifeguard supervisor.

San Clemente on Wednesday night was expecting its highest tide of the year--7.1 feet--which, coupled with the big surf, might threaten a lifeguard tower or two.

“But our beaches themselves are in pretty good shape,” said Richard Chew, the city’s beach supervisor. “The south swells actually fill in the beach during the winter, so we’re OK.”

Weather service forecasters expect Orange County beaches to receive the biggest waves today--four to six feet with occasional nine-footers. They predicted waves of two to three feet in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and two to four feet, with a maximum five or six feet, in Los Angeles and San Diego counties.