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The Wedge is a surf and bodyboard spot located at the extreme east end of the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach (California) known for its large wedge shaped waves that makes it a popular spot for surfing. During a south or south/southwest swell of the right size and aligned in the swell window, the Wedge can produce huge waves up to 30 feet high. The characteristic of this wave is that in a few meters it passes from a small wave to a giant wave -of up to 9 meters- that can even come in another direction, making it really difficult not to suffer a wipeout.

The waves are a by-product of alterations to the rock jetty on the west side of the Newport Harbor entrance undertaken during the 1930s. When conditions are right, and a wave approaches the shore at the proper angle, an approaching wave will reflect off the jetty creating a second wave. The reflected wave meets up with the following wave of the set and forms a peak, and this pattern can repeat for several following waves as well. If the reflected and incoming waves align the resulting wave is bigger than either alone due to constructive interference. This occurs very rapidly and forms waves in a very unpredictable and “unstable” pattern, so that no two waves are alike and the exact breaking point is difficult to predict even for an experienced surfer.

The Wedge, is considered one of the best waves to surf in the area. Slipping into this madness is not easy, hard moments, perfect waves and others that crush you. The giant waves hit The Wedge, make this an unforgettable experience.

The Wedge ain’t a place for the weak or the faint of heart. The Wedge is a place where you’re going to take beatings, and the beatings are going to be bad ones. It’s part of the allure—no one really expects to make it out unscathed. Tyler Stanaland, a man who knows the Wedge like the back of his hand, was there with a few friends the past weekend

The usual The Wedge surfers Tyler Stanaland, Kalani Robb, JJ Ayala, Blair Conklin, Tyler Dawson, Brad “Lawyer Brad” Kuhn, Brandon Clark, Mike Harris and more attempt to surf, skim and bodyboard the Wedge during a couple crazy high tides above five feet !!! All raw footage was filmed during two back to back mornings in mid-November.

As you can see in the images, the wipeouts of surfers and bodyboard riders are multiple, to which we must add that they already occur on the shore, to touch the sand, which increases the danger.

By the way, the swell was not limited to a single day, but there were ‘good’ waves and good wipeouts for two days in a row