More spills than thrills as weekend’s surf weakens

High surf that was expected to pound Southern California with waves as high as 28 feet fizzled as the day wore on Monday, leaving surfers disappointed by less-than-epic conditions. But authorities warned that rough seas still made fishing from jetties dangerous.

“Swells get hyped up a lot on the Internet. It was supposed to be 15 feet here today,” said surfer Josh Fuller, 25, of Newport Beach, surveying breaks that were less than a third that size.

“Sometimes it’s better to use your eyeballs to judge things.”

Nate Luck, 37, said the real action could be found early in the morning -- below the surface.

He said strong, swirling undercurrents made paddling out an exercise in frustration. Once in the lineup, the waves were irregular and mushy.

“But I got a couple of good rides in,” Luck said as he departed Newport Beach about midday. “So, yeah, it was worth it.”

In Seal Beach, the pier remained closed Monday, but the surf had died down considerably from Sunday, when 20- to 25-foot waves were spotted.

The 6- to 8-foot swells were still dangerous enough to keep some veterans on the sidelines and to draw dozens of skilled surfers into the choppy water.

“We like to get waves that pick you up and kiss you, not beat the hell out of you,” said Ken Cox, 63, of Huntington Beach. “This is too big for us old guys. We like to look before we leap.”

Joe Bailey, a Seal Beach lifeguard captain, said most inexperienced surfers were staying out of the water.

“When it gets this big, most people know their limitations,” he said. “You can feel the power of the waves just standing on the beach.”

But that power didn’t discourage Dorin Buchanan, a 16-year-old bodyboarder from Seal Beach.

“Sunday was death -- just a wall of white water ripping hard toward the pier,” he said. “Today was a lot more manageable. It was really fun out there.”

The Manhattan Beach Pier also was closed early Monday, then reopened and closed again at 4 p.m. because of high surf, according to Manhattan Beach police.

In Rancho Palos Verdes, fire officials searched until shortly before noon for a missing 23-year-old man who was swept out to sea Sunday night while walking on rocks with two friends.

At the time of his disappearance, waves in the area had grown to 14 feet, investigators said.

The two other men were not hurt, said Inspector Frank Garrido of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Authorities have notified the missing man’s family but have not released his name.

The search was halted Monday when the tides grew too high to safely proceed, officials said.

The search is scheduled to resume again early today, and divers will be called in.

Surface swimmers began combing the water again at low tide Monday with help from Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and U.S. Coast Guard staff, Garrido said.

The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory for Los Angeles County coastal areas until this morning; and until noon in Orange and San Diego counties.

The Coast Guard reported that it rescued more swimmers than usual this weekend from rip currents, and officials cautioned those swimming, fishing and walking on local beaches today to keep an eye on the surf.

“Especially stay off the jetties and the rocks,” said Coast Guard Lt. Andrew Munoz. “Those waves can come out of nowhere and take people by surprise.”

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mike.anton@latimes.com

dave.mckibben@latimes.com

Times staff writer Molly Hennessy-Fiske contributed to this report.