We’re sliding into those months on the calendar that constitute Wedge season in Southern California. And while an onslaught of waves brings crowds to any lineup under normal circumstances — because obviously, 2020 is a year of abnormal circumstances — the funky jetty mutant in Newport draws beachside crowds unlike any other when it’s on.
That, of course, is a recipe for disaster in a social distancing universe, which is a major reason city officials decided to start the seasonal blackball orders (no surfing between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.) in early April rather than waiting until the normal May 1 start. The added stipulation here is that crowds are also prohibited from gathering on the beach.
Before it all came crashing down, the Wedge put on a show, drawing the typical crowds in the water and on the beach, and a visit from TMZ.
“One guy who paddled out at the Wedge tells us locals are pissed L.A. County peeps are coming by the droves … along with San Diego surfers,” they wrote. “Their beaches are closed too. We’re told some locals even showed up and asked the out-of-towners to beat it.”
Wedge regular Brent Weldon has noticed the new faces too, pointing out that, “Most people were following the social distancing rules but the few who were not ruined it for the rest.”
“I see like four kids get out of one car and I know they went and picked up each friend to come this way,” he told The Inertia. “That’s not social distancing.”
Weldon was there when a south swell showed up in the days preceding the new blackball rollout. It’d been raining leading up to the swell, so rather than roll the dice on getting sick in a time where everybody’s asked to minimize risk, he chose to film from the beach instead of his regular spot in the lineup.
“For shooting, it’s not bad,” he tells us of the recent crowds in the water. “Max like four or five people but I can keep space from everyone. Surfing it’s a bit more hectic, but everyone’s doing what they can.”
“It’s like the same five guys that get the sets, everyone else just wants to be out there because they can and won’t catch anything.”
