Big Waves Bearing Down

Orange County lifeguards are geared up for a large south swell, fueled by a storm off Tahiti, that’s expected to hit Southland beaches today, producing 5- to 8-foot waves in many areas and surf up to 10 to 20 feet at south-facing beaches.

The swell--possibly the biggest of the year--was already beginning to show Tuesday with reports of 5- to 6-foot breakers and was expected to build during the night, hit a high today or Thursday, and drop slowly through Saturday.

“It could peak and we can have Big Wednesday right here in Orange County,” said Chris Borg of Surfline/Wavetrak, a Huntington Beach surf forecast firm. “By [today] people will have no problem knowing that it’s out there. The buoys on this thing are through the roof. It’s huge.”

Surfline tracked the storm 500 miles southeast of Tahiti last week by satellite and electronic ocean buoys, recording 60-knot winds and 45-foot waves during the storm.

Newport Beach Marine Lt. Eric Bauer said two jeep patrols and an extra tower lifeguard were added Tuesday after lifeguards received news about the large breakers in Surfline’s alert.

“There’s part of a south swell already starting to show and we had reports that the Wedge was overhead at 6 to 8 feet,” Bauer said Tuesday. “If the surf continues to build we’ll add on more staff. With the surf up, we want to make sure that nothing happens.”

The swell promises to be so large that high surf is also expected at all the way up the coastline to Ventura County, where breakers could reach 5 to 8 feet, according to Surfline.

Huntington Beach and Newport Beach are expecting 5- to 8-foot waves at south-facing beaches, with some breakers reaching 12 feet. At Newport’s famed Wedge, at the end of Balboa Peninsula, the surf is expected to be in the range of 10 to 20 feet.

The Wedge, one of California’s premier bodysurfing venues, comes alive on powerful south swells that bounce off a rock jetty and double in size.

At Huntington Beach, where crowds average 50,000 on summer weekdays, lifeguards were preoccupied with the onslaught, said lifeguard Lt. Mike Beuerlein.

“We have a heightened awareness right now and if the surf continues to build, we can call extra people if necessary,” Beuerlein said.

Lifeguard officials fear that swimmers could enter the water during a lull, swim out and find themselves staring at 8-foot waves with a powerful rip current, said San Clemente Marine Safety Officer Steve Lashbrook.

“We already have solid 5-foot waves breaking here,” Lashbrook said, “and the rip currents are already cranking away.”

Lashbrook advised swimmers and surfers to check with lifeguards before entering the water. Red flags means that dangerous surf conditions exist and swimmers are advised not to enter the water.

“If you do find yourself in a rip current, swim parallel to shore, that is sideways until you are out of the current,” Lashbrook said. “If you’re not a good swimmer, wave your hands above your head for lifeguard assistance.”

Lifeguards advised that only advanced swimmers and surfers consider entering the ocean during large-surf conditions.

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Surf’s Up

A storm that slammed 30-foot wave into Tahiti last week is bringing some of the summer’s biggest sets onto county shores. But with 10- 12- foot surf come dangerous riptides that can quickly pull a swimmer underwater and out to sea. Expect the peak to subside by Saturday.

Escaping the Rip Current

Rip currents are commonly created when a large amount of water is funneled by beach topography into narrow channels, then out to sea. A common mistake by swimmers in a rip current is trying to swim straight to shore. The proper way to escape:

A.: Allow current to move you seaward, don’t try to swim against the current, because this can drain your strength.

B.: Once the current weakens, normally less than 100 yards from shore, swim parallel to the beach until the rip current disappears.

C.: Swim toward the shore, riding incoming waves if possible.

Ask the Lifeguard: If you have any doubts about surf conditions, talk to a lifeguard before entering the water. Lifeguards use flags to denote certain conditions:

Green: Safe conditions

Red: Dangerous surf

Yellow: Use caution

Black Dot: No hardboard surfing

Topping the Mark

South- facing beaches, such as the Wedge, will be hit by the biggest surf, perhaps 10 to 20 feet high.

Source: Surffine- WaveTrak; Researched by APRIL JACKSON and SCOTT BROWN / Los Angeles Times