Dangerous, spectacular surf

Huge waves continued to pound Newport Beach on Wednesday, a day after two people were presumably drowned after being swept into the ocean while fishing off a jetty. Their bodies have not been found.

A storm originating near Antarctica brought enormous swells — the biggest some have seen — crashing down this week at south-facing beaches including the Wedge, 15th Street and Corona del Mar, Lifeguard Battalion Chief Jim Turner said Wednesday. Measuring 1,000 miles wide with winds up to 60 mph, the storm crossed a lot of ocean before hitting Southern California shores, Turner said.

The distance the wave travels greatly determines its size, Turner said, and Antarctica is “about as far away as surf can come from,” he said.

Due to the surges, lifeguards handled 12 rescues Tuesday, not including the massive search launched for the two missing anglers. The search was called off after just three hours because with water temperatures at 58 degrees and the strong ocean current, the chances were very slim that anyone would have survived, authorities said.

Described by witnesses as an Asian man in his 50s and an Asian woman in her 40s, the two were seen on the east jetty at Corona del Mar Beach, police said. They probably did not notice the larger sets that had been coming every 45 minutes on their way out on the jetty, Turner said.

According to Turner, 20-year-lifeguard Brian Gray called him that day and said it was the biggest surf he had seen at Corona del Mar Beach in his lifetime.

Wednesday the surf “cooled” just a bit, Turner said, with 8- to 12-foot waves hitting the Wedge. But a few miles away, waves only a foot high could be spotted on the shores at Newport Pier.

“As you go down, there is dramatically different surf in Newport Beach because the coastline is crooked and uneven,” he said.

The surf should continue to lessen over the next few days but won’t get “quiet” till the weekend, Turner added.

For video of Wednesday’s surf at Crystal Cove State Beach, click here.