Low Surf a Surprise : Big Waves’ Encore Proves a Washout

Dave Prunce rode his bike to the Newport Pier Thursday hoping to catch a view of the high surf trouncing the Orange County coast, but he soon learned his trip had been in vain.

The surf Thursday had calmed down considerably since Wednesday, when a South Pacific storm near the Equator sent south-to-southeast swells as high as 10 feet crashing down on the Southern California coast.

Forecasters and beach patrollers had expected the siege of rough surf to continue Thursday, so the two- to three-foot swells that they did see were something of a surprise.

Lifeguards had been prepared for the worst. “We only have safety boats in the waters during the weekends, when there are large crowds,” said Lt. Steve Davidson of Huntington Beach, “but because of the activity on Wednesday, we decided it would be a good idea to have them out while there was a threat of a high surf.”

“It’s pretty shocking,” said Mitch White, a lifeguard supervisor at Newport Beach, of the calmer waters. “These high surfs usually come in three- to four-day spurts. I was sure we’d have another busy day.”

Two Laguna Beach swimmers were hospitalized Wednesday with neck and back injuries after high waves rolled them into the sand.

249 Rescued

On Wednesday, the 65 to 70 lifeguards that usually patrol the Newport Beach area rescued more than 249 people. The number for Thursday, by contrast, was estimated at 50.

“We would at times have about 20 to 30 people all caught in one wave on Wednesday,” White said. “It was a madhouse around here.”

“It was more than scary,” said Mary Lewis, a tourist from Detroit. “My son James was out in the water at Newport when I saw this big wave come by and the lifeguards running toward him. Thank God they got to him, because he just froze when he saw the water rise.”

Huntington Beach lifeguards reported rescuing 89 people on Wednesday, about twice the average number, officials said. On Thursday, however, 57 rescues were recorded for the state and city beaches at Huntington Beach.

There were 45 rescues in San Clemente on Wednesday, double the usual rate, officials said. Lifeguards said most of the people getting in trouble in the water are tourists and boys and men 13 to 20 years old.

“Tourists just aren’t accustomed to the waves’ patterns and usually panic when a big one hits,” White said. “With the young guys, they just take a lot of chances that sometimes don’t work out.”

In Los Angeles County meanwhile, authorities temporarily called off their search for a man missing in the water off Malibu since Wednesday afternoon.

Dr. Jeff Glaser, 31, a Beverly Hills anesthesiologist who is a former member of the Yale University swim team, had been at a picnic with some friends, authorities said. Sheriff’s deputies and lifeguards reported that three women went to a jet ski rental booth near the pier to summon help that afternoon when they discovered that Glaser was missing. He was last seen swimming off Carbon Beach near the Malibu Pier around 2:30 p.m.

“The women said they had last seen Glaser about 75 yards from shore and that no one had seen him walk out of the water,” Zuma Beach Lifeguard Lt. James Richards said.

Coast Guard and Sheriff’s Department helicopters scanned the coastline for Glaser on Wednesday evening, and on Thursday, Zuma lifeguards combed the area with a rescue boat, but without success. A four-member diving team from the county’s northern lifeguards section had to call off their search after two hours because they were unable to see under water due to the pounding waves.

“We would have been lucky if they had found anything,” Lifeguard Lt. Russ Walker said. “There is not much we can do when there is zero visibility under water.”

Authorities planned to resume the search today.