Ahh, yes. You can always count on the Wedge for a good wipeout video or two. We all know every wave that rolls through this destructive little corner is likely to end in spills more often than triumphant fist pumps. And honestly, that almost begs the question of why some of us even attempt to surf its waves in the first place? The odds are stacked against anybody attempting a takeoff. Failure always seems more likely than success. And even worse, broken bones and broken boards are forever simply backwash bump away.
With all this in mind, it makes perfect sense why we tune in to watch the Wedge. Assuming the guy you’re watching take a tumble is going to make it back to shore in one piece, it’s pretty darn entertaining to go through the personal roller coaster that is holding your breath while observing a human body get top-roped into dry sand. It’s entertaining enough that guys like videographer Steve Cummings will make the drive from San Diego to Newport just to sit on the beach and point a camera at the melee.
“As luck would have it, this 180-190 (degree) swell turned in to a bounce house,” Cummings said of this week’s blip of California energy in the water. “Just a few guys were able to catch anything, but the rest were some pretty epic attempts and disasters.”
Honestly, “bounce house” is a great description of this place on its most entertaining, but least surfable, days.
