2023 went out with a bang in California, when it came to surf.
A massive swell hit the coast on December 28th, igniting big-wave surf spots like Mavericks for the “biggest day in years” according to locals, wreaking havoc on coastal infrastructure, and sending sneaker waves to wash away surf spectators on the sand.
It was an angry, historic, and in some cases epic day of swell.
On the other end of the California coast from Mavericks, down in San Diego, the waves were bombing as well. But that didn’t stop a whale watching boat from going out, braving the giant surf, and barely making it back to shore in one piece.
The clip above comes from Mission Bay, San Diego, during that December 28th swell. Per CBS 8 San Diego, here’s one man’s account of the wild ride:
“We kinda like slammed into the side. That moment where the boat goes to the side, that’s probably where we got slammed. We got knocked up a little bit.
“One of the crewmembers was like, ‘alright everyone inside. Take a seat. Things are getting a little more serious.’
“We went inside and people shouldn’t have been standing, like me. So, we were inside, and we were like, ‘that was scary; that shouldn’t happen again.’ And then we all sat down.
“Some people were like, ‘this is like a fun Disneyland ride!’ And other people were like, ‘this is not fun.’ Some people were crying.”
Nonetheless, while some folks online criticized the whale watching company for going out in reckless conditions, the passenger applauded the captain:
“The captain did a great job. Keeping control of the boat, working in really rough conditions.”
El Niño is still churning in the northern hemisphere air and oceans. Could there be more historic swell before it blows its last breath? Stay tuned.
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