It wasn’t all that long ago that there seemed to be an obsession with the Wedge involving board transfers into psychotic closeouts. You’re not alone if you feel like that novelty version of the Wedge is a relic.
Nowadays, people are back to milking its funky sidewave and pumping straight into massive barrels. Thankfully, thick barrels as wide as they are tall have never, and will never, be a passing fad at the Newport, Calif. mutant. And whether or not somebody makes it out of said barrel is also the timeless coin flip that makes the place so fun to watch.
This weekend, local videographer and Wedge regular, Brent Weldon, took us on a cruise through the lineup at the Orange County wave on Instagram Live. It was an interesting front row seat — even if for a brief moment on a Sunday morning — into how one of the most well-known waves on the planet operates. From his perspective, one noticeable evolution within the lineup mirrors much of what the rest of the surfing world has seen since early 2020.
“The last two years since COVID began have been crazy at The Wedge,” he told The Inertia Monday morning. “I have never seen it so crowded. I’m not sure whether it’s people not working, kids not in school, or a combination of both, but it has made it a lot more hectic in the lineup.”
Maybe there’s something to be said for those crowds raising the bar a little bit? Or maybe not? Either way, people went full send this weekend with a south swell in town.
“There is definitely a lot more aggression recently,” Weldon added, “as more and more kids are jumping out there trying to take every wave. That being said, when the big ones come through the guys that know what they are doing will always take full advantage.”
