Massive waves resulting from a storm in the north Pacific continued to pound the California coast, posing a danger to coastal residents — but creating a unique opportunity for big wave surfers, who braved the rough conditions to ride rare monsters.
On Thursday, as Breitbart News reported, the waves caused damage along the California coast, injuring eight people in Ventura:
Wave hits Pierpont in Ventura, California injuring 8. Video: Colin Hoag pic.twitter.com/IT8yhaRqPA
— News Now 24 (@GlobalNewsNow24) December 29, 2023
But experienced surfers took advantage of the conditions, peeling on heavy wetsuits and braving the white water to hit the break:
Absolutely massive swell @ Castle Rock #LosAngeles pic.twitter.com/gh9MOkYgMB
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) December 28, 2023
Many elite big wave surfers flew to California to test their skill on 40-to-60-foot waves, such as those at Mavericks, a legendary big wave spot in Northern California:
The San Francisco Chronicle reported on the Mavericks rush:
The iconic surf spot a half mile offshore in San Mateo County is a mecca for monster chasers, and with conditions fueled by swirling storms way out in the Pacific Ocean, the 31-year-old [Kai] Lenny caught a flight from Maui, joining another 14 adrenaline junkies to ride what forecasters said would be 40- to 60-foot waves.
…Grant Washburn, one of the first people to ride the waves at Mavericks in the early 1990s, and an expert on the history, physics and mechanics of the surfing site, was among those watching [Thursday] from high on the bluffs.
…
It was the kind of day that a surfer might see once or twice in a career, waiting for 5-10 years to experience it, Washburn said.
Smaller but challenging waves pounded California’s best coastal surf spots, including beaches in Southern California, from San Diego to Ventura County.
While the biggest waves were on Thursday, surfers came out through the weekend.
The high surf should persist through Sunday evening, calming down as California heads into 2024.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the 2021 e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now updated with a new foreword. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.