Phat waves will meet big crowds

Deepa Bharath

Big swells expected to kick in as early as this afternoon could

attract large crowds to the beach on what’s already a busy holiday

weekend.

Lifeguards will staff all towers until Labor Day, which is

considered the last day of summer.

“It’s going to be a busy weekend for us,” said Newport Beach

Lifeguard Capt. Eric Bauer. “We’ve had an average summer with not too

many rescues or major incidents. But we’re happy because everyone was

able to get back home safely from the beach.”

It looks like the big surf will last through Monday, bringing with

it some nasty rip currents, Bauer said.

“We expect anywhere between 90,000 and 110,000 people to be on the

beach over the weekend,” he said. “How many people actually show up

is going to depend on the weather.”

Friday was windy with gusts as high as 20 mph.

But the winds are expected to quiet down Saturday morning, making

way for a great day of surfing, said Adam Wright, forecaster for

Surfline.

The waves could be anywhere between 5 and 8 feet and could get as

big as 10 feet at south-facing beaches, he said.

“Some areas like The Wedge can have waves 15 feet or more,” Wright

said. “If it turns out to be what we expect, this will be the best

swell we’ve had all summer.”

This summer offered nothing special for surfers, he said.

“It usually ends up that way,” Wright said. “We get some really

good swells in the spring, but not as many in the summer. We’ve only

had a couple playful ones this summer.”

While many will walk, bike or drive to the beach, John Wayne

Airport officials have it that about 100,000 people will be traveling

to and from Orange County’s airport this Labor Day weekend.

“That’s 10% more than we had last year,” said airport spokesman

Justin McCusker.

Travelers should allow ample time, at least an hour and a half for

parking and security screening, he said. Friday and Monday evenings

are expected to be the busiest at the airport, McCusker said.

The weekend marks the end of summer, which is always bittersweet,

Bauer said.

“We’re a little sad that summer is coming to an end,” he said.

“But we’re happy to come out of the summer without any fatalities or

major injuries.”

* DEEPA BHARATH is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at

deepa.bharath@latimes.com.