Newport Beach

California Revisited

I’m working on a west coast International Marketing Tour, yet for some reason I’m in Illinois… Don’t ask it’s marketing. I’ve  gone to California a few times already this year and have been lucky enough to land some pretty solid swells. Here are a bunch of great shots for one reason or another didn’t make the cut in my previous post, so I thought since I’m suck in the Midwest and the chance of getting great surfing shots is slim, I’d revisit the west coast.

Sold this shot to this guys friend for a gift… so I didn’t want to post the shot until he got it. It was the best shot I’ve got in California hands down! (it was his first session with his new board… I think it’s a keeper)

This kid was killing it that day!

The water temp so freezing this day I was surprised I stayed in for 2 hours with only a shorty 2/2mm. Wish I could stay longer it was a super glassy day

I could just post the 3 shot from this sequence and claim it was a sick but he didn’t even come close to landing it.

Here is a great barrel shot from the Wedge but it was a little too pretty to add to a post when you are calling the place a freak


The Wedge is a Freak!

If you aren’t familiar with the “Wedge” in Newport Beach, CA let me tell you that the place is an anomaly. A rock jetty was built to protect the entrance to Newport Harbor and it formed one of the gnarliest waves I ever had the pleasure to witness. It’s unique angle and shape takes the power of one wave bounces it off the jetty and then combines it with the second wave of the set.

You’ll notice in the pictures that I’m facing the shore but your looking at the skim boarder profile, that is because he is riding the force of the wave bouncing off the rock jetty and then it is “Wedging up” and combining with the second wave of the set.

This is a nice picture of the wave.

Not so nice. The problem is you never know how crazy it will get till it’s too late haha

Riding the Power off the jetty about to get shacked by the wedge.

It almost always barrels but on larger sets it has this double slab and it drops out with out warning

Here is a shot from the beach  to show you how massive it can get… After that my favorite crashes

If you don’t get pounded onto the beach the next set will get you.

Why would you put your body thru this punishment? because when it’s good it’s great


Local Smiles

The Number Streets at Newport Beach, CA are home to some of the best surfers in Southern California, also some of the most localized surfers. That being said they really aren’t aggressive and territorial like most of the other popular surfing spots in the area. But, if you think you have a chance getting a set wave… You Are Wrong. See the issue with Newport is there are so many guys in the lineup that know exactly where the waves will break, what the sandbar is doing, how the tides are shifting, when the swell is going to peak. ect… On top of all that, they are all friends, so they don’t need force you out… they can just sit back and watch you take off on closeouts because thats the only waves they will give you (or bait you into taking).

This was the first shot I took when I swam out, it set the tone nicely for the rest of the day.

Then the Barrels came out to play

Believe it our not there was actually an empty one that I got to body surf… I never got one when I lived here haha 

Barrel to the left to hacks to my right, stuck in the middle again

O yeah like I said, if you want to come on down to 52nd Street and get some waves the boys will be more then happy to give you closeout until you get discouraged and go back to the 909