Heavy rain and high surf have, in a nutshell, been the story of the atmospheric and oceanic conditions this winter season in coastal California.
It’s been, by some accounts, historic.
And yet, despite the hectic conditions – dumping rain and maxed out surf spots – some intrepid surfers are still giving it a go, occasionally finding windows of excellence, and other times just trying to survive. Like these dudes in LA’s South Bay recently:
“Massive surf hits in LA during the middle of a record rain storm and madman Will Allen optimistically paddles out and charges in some rather not user-friendly conditions,” Beefs TV captioned the clip. Soon joined by Tyler Stanaland for a wave, they gave it a good go on their 7’2″ Catch Surf Crowd Killers.”
As mentioned, this does not look like a fun, easy, run-of-the-mill session in the South Bay. Without a channel, simply paddling out amidst the staggering closeouts would have been incredibly challenging by itself…let alone catching a wave.
Related: 10-Foot Wave Explodes on Surfer’s Head, Friends Nearly Call 911 (Clip)
Elsewhere, San Clemente’s Kei Kobayashi took a monster 10-footer on the head during a recent Los Angeles South Bay session. It was so hectic that his filmer, Nathan Baker (@evo_n8) even contemplated calling the cops.
“This was the most giant waves I’ve ever surfed in LA,” Kobayashi told SURFER. “I caught 0 waves but survived three huge waves landing on my head.”
Then, there was another San Clemente native, Luke Davis, who went full hero mode, taking off on a closed-out South Bay behemoth. Photos from that one, as captured by @surfweasel_tk, are frankly terrifying. And although all he could do was straighten out to avoid certain obliteration, kudos to Luke for having a go.
“I’m pretty sure I have sand stuck in my brain after this one,” Luke commented.
***
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.