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| Professional surfer Taylor Knox of Carlsbad snaps a turn off the top of a big wave at Seaside Reef in Cardiff as the predicted large swells generated from Pacific storms in the north Pacific arrived Friday morning at San Diego County beaches. HAYNE PALMOUR IV |
North County Times - January, 6th 2012
Waves up to 12 feet high hit the North County coast Friday morning, with still-higher surf expected through Saturday.
Surfers flocked to popular spots in Encinitas, Carlsbad and Oceanside to ride the swells, which were generated by a distant Pacific storm. Big waves were expected to roll in for the rest of the day, and grow smaller overnight.
Students at La Costa Canyon High School were surfing off Moonlight Beach in Encinitas as part of their physical education class, and a few people were watching the waves from the beach.
Student Nick Scoggins, 18, said he has been surfing for about 10 years, and has seen a handful of swells as big as Friday's.
He said he had been looking forward to riding the bigger waves since he heard they were coming.
"I was stoked," he said. "It was the first big swell we've had all year."
He said he got a few fun rides, and the waves "held up really nice."
The unusually warm weather that has dominated the area for the past several days ---- setting record highs of 80 degrees
or more in some cities ---- drew spectators to the beaches, as well as surfers.
Lifeguards in Encinitas said there were large crowds at the beaches and in the surf on Friday, but the big waves had caused no significant problems such as injuries or rescues.
The weather is expected to remain dry, but grow cooler, giving way to more seasonal temperatures this weekend, meteorologists said.
Encinitas resident Kelowna Giuliano, 35, was watching the waves from the beach and considering whether to go out surfing later in the day.
"Part of the problem is the crowd," she said. "There's only one good place to go when it's big ---- Swami's ---- so everyone goes there. With the crowd it can get scary."
Sure enough, surfers were out in droves at Swami's State Beach. About 60 surfers floated in knots where the waves were breaking, some catching good rides, others disappearing into the white water.
Tom Budner, 66, of Encinitas said he and his friend chose Swami's because "we had to find a place where we could got and without getting pummeled, thrashed and beaten up."
His friend, George Pantano, 60 of San Diego, agreed, saying, "The thing about the big swells is that they get out of control" and turn into walls of water.
Surfer Benjamin Shapiro, 47 of Encinitas, said he is among the surfers who love paddling out into big waves, such as the 40-foot behemoth he once surfed off Todo Santos Island in Mexico.
"The (appeal of surfing the) big wave is having the desire," he said. "If you really want it, that's a good feeling."
"The beauty is knowing that you've proven yourself to yourself," he said.