Storms toss up heavy waves

Big news for surfers is breaking along the coast.

Large swells have been building at Upper Newport and Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach since Monday morning. Newport Beach Lifeguard Battalion Leader Jim Turner said he anticipates the waves to continue to build and grow in size through today.

“We’ve been getting 5- to 6-foot sets,” Turner said. “The sets are fairly steady, coming every three to five minutes.”

Swells could grow to 10 feet or larger later today.

The swells were created by hurricanes to the west of Mexico, near Cabo San Lucas and Baja, and large winter storms in New Zealand.

“Straight out is Catalina and San Clemente Island and they protect us from swells from the top mid-Pacific, but this came in from the Southern Hemisphere,” Turner said.

The swells are breaking along the southern coastline, so don’t expect to see the same surf north of Newport Pier. The beaches are more west-facing in that direction.

Those who plan to visit the Newport Beach surf should keep in mind that the large swells do present a safety concern.

“Any time we have larger surf we have larger rip currents,” Turner said. “The public needs to know how to get out of a rip current. They should swim sideways and, if they get tired, they should not fight the current. They should float and wait for a lifeguard to come and get them.”

Rip currents can be identified as murky, choppy currents that pull water away from the shore.

Newport Beach has about 35 lifeguard towers, and they will all be open for the summer starting Saturday. Turner advises that swimmers stay close to the towers.

Down the coast, Huntington Beach has been experiencing its normal surf level.

“The surf has increased in size the last couple of days, but it’s higher on south-facing beaches,” said Mike Baumgartner, Huntington Beach marine safety lieutenant. “The surf has been pretty consistent here at 3 to 5 feet.”

The sun is shining and the surf is up, so lifeguards say it’s the perfect time to pull out the board and hit the shore.

“It’s a great time for surfers and people who want to come down and watch the waves at the south-facing beaches,” Turner said.