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Watch: Big Waves Hit The Wedge in Southern California
A big south swell rolled into the iconic surf spot this weekend
Related: Adventure
When big waves hit The Wedge in Newport Beach, Calif., as they did this weekend, crowds gather to watch. Ambulances sometimes hover nearby, too. That's because waves reflect off a jetty near the surf break and magnify, creating towering peaks that break in shallow water. It's treacherous.
Bodysurfers, bodyboarders and sometimes even surfers drop in -- occasionally at the same time. Exhibit A: this video, shot Saturday, Sept. 1.
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This article is yet another example of media overhype. The waves at the Wedge have not been as big an event as you are trying to make it seem. The surf has been 6-10' with some double overhead waves.
September 03 2012 at 5:45 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIt has actually been a fairly bad summer for waves. And, the waves have not been considered in any way spectacular, or have they merited the media coverage you are giving them. You should limit your coverage and alloted news window at a time when it is a real event. A few years ago the Wedge merited the coverage it was getting. There actually were waves that we haven't seen since the swell of 1969. Waves actually had 25' faces (or a Hawaiian 12' swell) and people did die. In 1969 the swell was big enough to "close out" our harbor entrance. But that was the "good old days" when you had no idea how big it was unless you or your friends happened to be there. The media is not stroking our egos by being there during ANY event. Actually what the media is doing is drawing people into the water who have no business being out in those conditions. The media coverage is in reality responsible for threatening lives of people who have NO business being in the water at the Wedge.
Why don't you guys stick to REAL NEWS and not some "mediacore" swell that just happens to be one of the better ones we've had this year, a summer which will not go down in memory so far.