Waves breaking a mile out to sea off an oil rig in California? Yep.
While most folks looked to the conventional, perhaps more XXL-friendly surf spots during the historic end-of-year swell in California – surf spots like Mavericks and Blacks Beach and beyond – a handful of surfers neglected the herd.
They trekked out to Platform Esther, an offshore oil refinery (and mythic wave) more than a mile from the coast of Seal Beach in Orange County.
The clips above are a rare sighting. It needs to be big – real big – for waves to break this far out to sea and in this deep of water. But it’s not unheard of.
In fact, back at the beginning of this year in January, surfers were catching waves out at Esther, too. Keep scrolling for footage from those sessions.
And the history goes back even further with El Niño-fueled, oil rig surfing off California. The late great Sean Collins – founder of Surfline – told the Los Angeles Times during the celebrated, holy of holies, whispered in hushed tones, benchmark for all other swells, El Niño season of 1998:
“The island oil rig was hammered by 20-foot waves in the El Nino storms of 1982 and ’83 and basically destroyed. They dug out the machinery and rebuilt a platform next to it, but they left a lot of submerged construction.”
Could the historically huge swell at the end of 2023 usurp the role as benchmark for El Niño-charged California surf seasons? Probably not. But it’s not over yet.
Stay tuned.
***
Don’t miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Instagram, and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We’re always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.
Whether you’re a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.