It’s hot, rainy, cloudy, muggy, almost unbearable. But for some this is perfect weather because . . . : Surf ‘s Up : Darby Makes a Splash With Giant Waves That Surfers Love

Despite the muggy gloom that settled over the Southland on Wednesday, bringing drizzles, dangerous riptides and crashing surf, it was a day from heaven for hundreds of Orange County surfers and body-boarders.

“I heard there is supposed to be big waves because of the hurricane,” said Bob Guzman, a construction worker for the city of Huntington Beach, who walked into the water about 6:30 a.m. with his surfboard leashed to his ankle. “Any time there is a big swell, you gotta come out.”

The fine surf conditions and humid, rainy weather over the county Wednesday was courtesy of Hurricane Darby, which has been downgraded to a tropical storm and is moving away from the coast.

Surfers filled the ocean at choice spots along the coast, and lifeguards stationed on the beaches rescued dozens of swimmers from strong riptides produced by the tides and high surf. Lifeguards throughout the county warned swimmers to stay out of the water without fins.

Authorities had feared high tides would result in damage to beachfront property, but none was reported and by midmorning the National Weather Service canceled its high-surf advisory.

What remains of the hurricane will probably account for more humid and cloudy weather today, according to Rick Dittman, meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which provides weather information to The Times.

But classic summer weather is expected to reappear in time for the weekend, Dittman said.

Temperatures in the county ranged from highs in the 90s to an overnight low in the 60s, Dittman said. Santa Ana was one of the hottest spots in the county, registering a high of 92, while Newport Beach had a low of 66, he said.

As the day broke early Wednesday morning, surfers anticipating legendary waves were greeted by occasional rains and a constant cloud cover.

“They come out of the woodwork when the surf is up,” said Chris Krueger, a lifeguard at Seal Beach. “We got huge surf but not a lot of rescues. . . . Surf is just so big that it is keeping people out of the water.”

Most surfers and lifeguards at the beach reported waves ranging from three to eight feet high.

A strong riptide known in Seal Beach as “the freight train” forced lifeguards there to close about 100 yards of beach near 3rd Street to keep swimmers and surfers out of the dangerous current.

In Seal Beach, lifeguards fished eight people out of riptides. In Newport Beach the rescues totaled 15 people.

Riptides are a column of water flowing out to sea and account for most rescues made at the beach. They generally are strongest when the tides are evolving from high to low. Swimming against one is like swimming against a river, said Mike Bartlett, a lifeguard at Huntington Beach.

“They are dangerous when people try to swim against them, get swept out to sea, panic and drown,” Bartlett said. “The way to escape them is to swim perpendicular to them.”

But for most surfers with wet suits and boards, a strong riptide is simply the quickest way to be carried out into a perfect position to catch the next wall of water back into shore.

“There is nothing like getting caught in a rip because you can avoid the impact zone where the white water hits you in the face,” said John Michin, 29, an engineer at Hughes Aircraft who joined about a hundred others on Huntington Beach.

Since Tuesday, Hurricane Darby has weakened considerably and moved to about 200 miles east.

“The moisture from the system will thin out and be eliminated by Saturday,” Dittman said. “And there will be a gradual return to sunny July weather.”