The Big One

The largest, most powerful southern hemisphere swell in recent history hammered California's coastline Friday, pounding Laguna Beach with waves up to 15 feet, drawing huge crowds, taxing lifeguards and even spawning a new surf break.

"It was huge. It was a major, major event for us," said Marine Safety Chief Kevin Snow, whose staff made 655 rescues between Friday and Sunday, with an additional 17,300 preventative contacts. "It pushed us to the limit. That was a crazy swell.

"It's very rare that you get a good, big, big southern hemi, in the middle of summer, with warm water and high temperatures… It's not just the surf, it's the crowd and the water temp all combined…It was in the top five days since I've worked here in '81," Snow said.

Aliso Beach was closed Friday by Orange County parks officials due to waves washing over the beach and into the parking lot, and lifeguards kept the public from setting foot on the beach.

"As far as keeping people off the sand, that was a first for me," said Jason Young, director of US Ocean Safety, whose lifeguards cover South Laguna beaches and made 314 rescues and 5500 prevents last weekend.

Lifeguard Hogan Porter of Laguna Beach dealing with heavy crowds and even heavier waves, warning swimmers at Shaw's Cove during last Friday's exceptionally high surf. Young said, "We had…major rescues with multiple victims at 1000 Steps Beach." Even with four guards in the water, US Ocean Safety called on the harbor patrol for assistance. "In the middle of the rescue…they determined the best thing to do was get outside the waves because there was a big set on the horizon," Young said.

Tommy Anderson, a fifth year Laguna Beach guard on duty at Crescent Bay, pulled off a particularly tough rescue. On Friday he saw a man wading in waist deep water. By the time he reached the man, Anderson's rescue tube had been stripped off his body by the first wave of a monster set and both men were well into deeper water. Bryce Saeman, a sevenyear lifeguard, arrived after the next wave, which ripped his tube in half.

John Cunningham wearing an inner tube as he pulls into a huge barrel. "Safety first," he said before paddling into this beast. Anderson said, "We had to grab the guy and take him under eight, 10-foot waves, with no tubes so we had to just hold onto him…and try to push him up after each wave, to get a breath of air, then get him in. He was throwing up when we got him to the beach, and could barely walk. We had to call the medics… He was freaking out."

Anderson executed 23 rescues on Friday, three of them as bad as this one.

Mitch Ridder, a 32-year Laguna Beach lifeguard said, "This was the largest summertime swell I have ever seen in my 32 years."

Fifty-year-old bodysurfer Monte Valentin from Lawndale died at the Wedge in Newport Beach on Sat- urday after being caught against the jetty during a massive set of waves. Numerous lifeguards and bodysurfers were close by but could do nothing until the set had passed, at which point the damage was done.

It wasn't all life and death though. For those prepared for serious surf, it was a dream day. Ridder admitted, "The day of big surf is what I love…I would get a surge of adrenaline because I couldn't believe what I was looking at. Absolutely amazing."

Unknown charger handling the drop at Third Reef Rockpile during the three-day wave frenzy. Anderson felt the same. "For the guy we rescued it sucked, but I had fun."

So did Erik Nelson, who pioneered a spot never before surfed to his knowledge, outside Rockpile. "I grew up surfing there since I was seven. I've known the place for 30 years and I've never seen it like that. I was 30 yards past Third Reef (where surfers usually catch waves) on a rock boil. I call it Fourth Reef. It was a huge adrenaline rush, a new situation. I was thinking, 'What's it going to bring? Is it too big? Am I far enough out?'"

Dusty Payne and Alex Gray, two pro surfers in town for a Volcom surf movie premier, reveled in a world class shred session amid a crew of locals at Rockpile, air dropping into tripled-up set waves at Third Reef like it was a walk in Heisler Park.

Chad Gibbs, who has lived in Laguna since 1966, like Nelsen caught waves from a seldomsurfed spot: Third Reef Brooks Street. "I caught a monster from there…the foam ball engulfed me…and the swell was so powerful I just kept tumbling and my momentum wasn't stopping. I reached down to the bottom with my feet, pushed off the reef to stop and punctured my foot. And it wasn't going to stop me from riding the swell of the century so I bandaged it and put on some reef booties and paddled back out."

The swell was a waterman's re- union of sorts, bringing long time Laguna locals out of the woodwork. "Second reef is like an addiction. There are guys I went to high school with that I haven't seen in like five years that I only see out there, when that wave breaks," said Gibbs.

The Brooks Street surf contest, in it's 48th year, went off with spectators packing the newly built staircase/amphitheater and overflowing onto the hillside. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause when surfers connected big set waves all the way from Second Reef to the beach.

Laguna local Jeff Booth, a former world title contender said, "I have never seen that many people come down to watch and cheer the surfers on. It was like people had never seen surfing before. So much stoke!…There was an all out, go for broke attitude from all the surfers…After all when you have the entire town watching you don't want to disappoint."

Jason Steris, a surfer born and raised in Laguna, said, "In all my years surfing the Brooks Street contest I have never seen contestants catch multiple waves from Second Reef during the same heat."

The historic swell was generated by a storm just 3,600 miles away, while the average storm is up to 6, 000 miles distant, and high wind speeds of 40 to 55 knots, said Kevin Wallis, surf forecaster with Surfline. "There have been reports all up and down the coast of 10-15 wave sets, or 20 wave sets. Most swells will have six wave sets or something in that range."

The US Open was held at the Huntington Pier, where the long shore current was so strong jet ski assistance was provided to competitors for the first time in the contest's 50 year history. Even nine-time world champ Kelly Slater was pushed through the pier by the unstoppable torrent. Huntington Beach pro surfer Brett Simpson, dispatched the world's best wave riders to take surfing's largest purse, a $100,000 first prize.

The Pacific Coast Triathlon at Crystal Cove State Beach canceled the swimming portion of the event due to the large surf.