I learned to surf by staying as close to shore as possible. For an inexperienced ocean swimmer, that seemed like the safest option. In reality, however, it was among the most dangerous.
Shorebreak waves, sometimes called “shoreys” by Australians who love shortening words and adding a “y” to them, can be perilous to those most likely to be attracted to them — the inexperienced. While the threat of drowning may be diminished due to close proximity to shore, head and neck injuries are common.
While shorebreaks often appear to have sand bottoms, the turbulent water generated can hide rocks. To know what you are facing, it is advisable to feel your way cautiously at first rather than diving in. I learned that the hard way after finding the bottom closer than expected when I dove in and smacked the sand violently.
Something that might surprise neophytes is that shorebreaks tend to break much harder than waves in deeper water. That is because they contain all the energy of a wave that may have traveled thousands of miles before colliding with the shore. This makes them fun for bodysurfing and challenging for board surfing.
Growing up in the Huntington/Newport Beach area, I surfed a lot of shorebreaks. My attempts generally ended in a comical wipeout. Occasionally, however, a shorebreak wave stayed open long enough to offer a brief opening in the form of a tube ride.
Those who bodysurf better than I, which is just about anyone who can swim, might prefer the minimalistic thrill of riding a wave with nothing but fins. I, however, prefer something to cushion the fall. A hand plane, a surf mat or a bodyboard along with a set of fins does the trick.
North County offers decent shorebreaks from Ponto to Del Mar. Attracting more south swells than we do, La Jolla steps up the game by offering bigger, harder breaking waves. Anyone wanting to witness a shorebreak in all its glory, however, need look no further than the Newport Wedge.
Because of the jetty, which causes Wedge waves to refract, a 2-foot swell may jack into a 10-foot slab. This spectacular display is increased when some of our state’s best bodysurfers, bodyboarders and occasionally board surfers challenge this most brutal of all breaks.
The Wedge comes to life during a big south swell, something that generally occurs in late summer. If you plan on visiting the Wedge, go early, since the entire surfing world focuses there whenever it explodes.
