LISA CUMBIE
Art Editor
Large swells generated from the South Pacific created a wall of waves Thursday, Sept. 15 through Sunday for Southern California beaches. They fulfilled surfers’ dreams while haunting beachfront homeowner’s nightmares.
One week ago, the National Weather Service issued a high-surf advisory alert for south-facing coastal waters, drawing the eye of surfers. The large and long periods of southerly swells accounted for waves averaging five to eight feet high, with occasional sets of nine- to 12-foot waves.
“It was like the last hoorah for the summer,” senior Guy Alsentzer said.
Alsentzer said about 250 surfers were in the water with him partaking in the swells. This is five times the amount he said he would have normally encountered on a Thursday afternoon.
Among the scores of surfers out to sea off Surfrider Beach was junior Sean Oppenheimer. He said he counted at least 170 people just at the first point closest to the Malibu Pier.
“It was a chaotic scene, complete chaos,” Oppenheimer said.
He said the first point is ideal for longboarding and the second and third points are better for shortboarding. Oppenheimer, who has been practicing both longboard and shortboard in the Malibu waves for about 12 years, was catching waves Friday night until 2 o’clock the next morning.
“It was glowing. It was unbelievable,” Oppenheimer said about his surfing experience under the full moon.
While the surfers enjoyed the waves, there was havoc among Malibu’s beachfront homeowners as their homes were at the mercy of nature. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported damage to a few beachfront houses in Malibu Colony, according to the National Weather Service. A flood warning was also issued to the downtown and coastal areas of L.A. county as well as Catalina Island on Friday.
The reported damages of direct wave hits were minimal and there was no flooding.
Strong gusts of wind from South Pacific storms create wind-waves that combine forces and travel across the ocean together. The wind-wave masses then become recognized as swells and appear as a wall of water traveling outward from the storm’s center. The walls become more prominent as they gain distance and energy.
High-surf advisories are issued when waves reach seven feet high or more, and can vary in strength, with some swells lingering for several days, while others last just a few hours, according to the National Weather Service Web site.
09-22-2005