Beaches Take a Pounding : Weather: A man drowns after a swell from South Pacific storm generates waves up to 10 feet. Inconsistent sets can give swimmers, surfers a false sense of security.

The heavy surf that claimed one life over the weekend and continued pounding Southland beaches Monday was generated by the most treacherous type of ocean storm--one from the far-off South Pacific, according to lifeguards and wave forecasters.

Swells from the storm reached eight to 10 feet as far north as Oregon and Alaska, said Sean Collins, forecaster for Huntington Beach-based Surfline/Wavetrak, and caused the rescue of hundreds of swimmers, including an Orange County congressman.

Along the California coast, south-facing beaches in Orange and Los Angeles counties were hit by waves as high as eight feet in places, with even larger ones in heralded surfing locales like the Wedge in Newport Beach, Steamers Lane in Santa Cruz and the Big Sur area.

“It’s incredible,” said Huntington Beach lifeguard Lt. Steve Seim. “Rarely do we see a swell last this long with good size.”

South Pacific storms, such as the current storm that began off the coast of Tasmania in Australia, can bring huge waves that roll into county beaches intermittently, with long lulls between sets that can lure swimmers into a false sense of security, lifeguards said.

Swells produced by hurricanes off the Mexican coast or Baja California are just as big, but more consistent and with fewer surprises, Collins said.

“Hurricane storms from Mexico are pretty much face value. You drive up to the beach and what you see is what you get,” he said. “Swells from the southern hemisphere travel anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 miles to get here . . . with long gaps between the sets. This can be a more life-threatening situation.”

Lifeguards were extremely busy over the weekend as thousands of people swarmed to the beaches. A 21-year-old man drowned off Laguna Beach on Sunday and 467 people were rescued from the waters off Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.

Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) and his 10-year-old grandson had to be pulled from the surf Saturday off Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point.

“If I wasn’t a good swimmer, I wouldn’t have made it,” said Dornan, 60, who was pushed under by the waves four times before a lifeguard reached him.

In Los Angeles County, the Malibu-Zuma area reported 118 rescues Saturday and Sunday, and another 10 to 12 Monday when crowds thinned out, said Jim Jacobson, a senior county lifeguard.

In the Marina del Ray to Topanga Beach area, a total of 380 people had to be pulled from the surf, said lifeguard Craig Mattox.

“That’s a lot of rescues,” Jacobson said. “We had rip currents pulling people out beyond the breakers, or into them, which is worse.”

The body of 21-year-old Ali Maysami of Anaheim, man who ventured out Sunday into five- to six-foot surf off Laguna Beach, was discovered about 5:45 a.m. Monday about 50 feet off the shore of Picnic Beach, said Sgt. Bob Raehauser of the Laguna Beach police.

A large wave washed over Maysami and his friends and only the two friends surfaced, said Mike Dwinell, Laguna Beach’s manager of marine safety.

Maysami, who had been in the country about nine years, was killed the day after his 21st birthday while attending a gathering of 300 to 500 friends and family members in nearby Heisler Park, Raehauser said.

“Everyone was tremendously confused and distraught,” said Raehauser, adding that a family member indicated Maysami “was not a proficient swimmer.”

Because of the large crowds that overflow from the park above the beach and the treacherous way the waves break there, Picnic Beach can be especially dangerous, Dwinell said.

The swells had dropped Monday, although they were still “holding strong” in the range of three to five feet, with occasional six- to eight-foot sets at south-facing beaches, Huntington Beach’s Lt. Seim said.

Newport Beach, as well as Topanga, Malibu and Zuma beaches, were also still being hit by strong surf, forecaster Collins said.

The larger sets, from five to six feet, were catching people off guard, Dwinell said.

“Anytime you have an inconsistent swell, it’s problematic,” he said. “It gives people a false sense that it’s safe to go out in the water. Then a larger set comes in and it puts them in a bad position.”

Lifeguard Robert Williams of Newport Beach said there has been little respite from the heavy surf all month long.

“Out of the 18 days of the month, we’ve had probably 14 or 15 days of good surf,” Williams said. “It’s been a combination of different swells from different storms hitting one after another.”

The largest waves in Orange County were reported in Newport Beach at the Wedge, the 15th Street area and the area from 59th Street to the Santa Ana River jetty, Williams said. The faces of the waves at the Wedge were up to 15 feet Sunday and at least 10 feet Monday, Williams said.

Collins predicted that the current swells will taper off by Wednesday, but that two new hurricanes off Baja California--Dora and Eugene--could generate more pounding surf without much letup.

Collins suggested that all swimmers and surfers use caution throughout the week.

“People should use common sense and play it safe,” said Collins, adding that the beaches on the north end of the county, perhaps Seal Beach, would be the least affected by the storms.

Surf’s Up--With Surprise Swells Orange County’s high surf is the residual effect of a typical winter storm in the Southern Hemisphere. Some swimmers and inexperienced surfers venture farther out into the ocean during longer intervals between waves. Suddenly they find themselves trapped in stronger surf and bigger waves than expected. The swell had these characteristics Sunday: Interval Between waves: Sunday: 17 to 19 seconds Typically: 10 to 11 seconds Distance from shoreline: Sunday: 75 to 100 yards Typically: 50 feet Wave height: Sunday: Up to 10 feet high Typically: Two to four feet high Storm From Below Orange County usually gets about 40 incidents each summer of swells from the Southern Hemisphere. The latest swells are the result of a storm that took place two weeks ago, 8,000 miles away. LABELS Low pressure New Zealand Antarctica Tasmania Winds 60-73 m.p.h. Waves up to 50 feet high System moved northeast, losing strength Pointer box: Although storm disintegrated before reaching Orange County, it produced huge swells Lifeguards on Alert Lifeguards rescued hundreds of people at local beaches this weekend because of the deceptive surf. The number of rescues is higher than normal, as is common when there are unusual swells. Newport Beach: 347 Laguna Beach: 120 Huntington State Beach: 120 San Clemente: 78 Sources: Surfline/Wavetrak, city lifeguards