A surfer raises his arm to acknowledge a screaming crowd at the Wedge in Newport Beach. Thousands of spectators lined the beach Wednesday to watch waves as high as 25 feet tall generated by Hurricane Marie off the Pacific coast.

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Photo Gallery: Big Waves At The Wedge

A surfer raises his arm to acknowledge a screaming crowd at the Wedge in Newport Beach. Thousands of spectators lined the beach Wednesday to watch waves as high as 25 feet tall generated by Hurricane Marie off the Pacific coast. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Surfers slide down a huge wave Wednesday at the Wedge in Newport Beach. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Water splashes some of the people watching surfers Wednesday at the Wedge in Newport Beach. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Young surfers walk along the beach after riding huge waves Wednesday at the Wedge jetty in Newport Beach. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

A body-board rider races down the glassy face of a big wave at the Wedge jetty in Newport Beach on Wednesday. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Spectators standing on the breakwater at the entrance to Newport Bay watch waves crashing on the beach in Newport Beach. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)