The Wedge was a circus during the recent run of swell that saw all of California lite up like a Christmas tree. This, of course, is nothing new. If there’s even a hint of south in the water then you can bet good money there’s a satellite news van already searching for prime parking on the Balboa Peninsula. And the early June waves didn’t disappoint. The beach looked like a World Cup watch party crowd with ooohs and ahhhhs for every massive set rolling in. Those 20-foot claims don’t seem all that ridiculous when you watch highlight footage like this reel from Wedge regular Brent Weldon.
While intense wipeouts and injuries are commonplace on any of these days, Weldon points out some gradual changes at the Wedge that he thinks might make them more prominent. Four days of nonstop waves will move sand around at any wave on the planet, but Weldon tells The Inertia this swell magnified the changes he’s been observing for years now. One clip floating around online, for example, showed part of the century old train track washing up on the beach — an artifact that’s been buried under the Wedge since the Great Depression.
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“If this Super El Niño is anything like people are predicting, the beach could be in serious trouble. With the lack of sand, more of the old railroad tracks and rocks that were used to build the jetty may continue to become exposed, and there’s also an increased risk of flooding reaching nearby homes,” Weldon says.
This isn’t just one massive swell upending an entire wave though. It’s the product of more than one winter with less and less sand being pushed back over the Wedge’s floor.
“The last few years have been bad, but this is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” he says. “Many of the rocks now being exposed haven’t been visible since the jetty was originally built. During this last swell, crews were literally pulling out old railroad ties and rusted metal stakes that had been buried for decades.”
