Storms Tahiti

Southern California lifeguards are geared up for a large south swell, fueled by a storm from Tahiti, that is expected to hit Southland beaches today, producing five- to eight-foot waves in many areas and surf up to 20 feet at some south-facing beaches in Orange County. The swell--possibly the biggest of the year--was already beginning to show on Tuesday with reports of five- to six-foot breakers.

The high surf that crashed onto Orange County beaches Wednesday lured Jim Cassady from San Diego to bodyboard the face of 20-foot waves. "It's scary," Cassady, 22, said. "The wave goes from really deep to shallow really fast, with sudden drops." The element of danger makes it more exciting during the early morning, when lifeguards are not yet on duty, Cassady said.

Orange County lifeguards are geared up for a large south swell, fueled by a storm off Tahiti, that's expected to hit Southland beaches today, producing 5- to 8-foot waves in many areas and surf up to 10 to 20 feet at south-facing beaches. The swell--possibly the biggest of the year--was already beginning to show Tuesday with reports of 5- to 6-foot breakers and was expected to build during the night, hit a high today or Thursday, and drop slowly through Saturday.

Monster waves that scared even the lifeguards. Riptides that dragged hardy swimmers out to sea. Nervous mothers. Stoked surfers. Across Southern California on Wednesday, the biggest swell of the summer--indeed, one of the biggest in recent memory--turned normally placid waters ferocious. At Newport Beach's famous ripping ground known as the Wedge, surfers braved 20-foot waves. At Malibu's Surfrider Beach, waves reached 12 feet, three times the normal height.

The high surf that crashed onto Orange County beaches Wednesday lured Jim Cassady from San Diego to bodyboard the face of 20-foot waves. "It's scary," Cassady, 22, said. "The wave goes from really deep to shallow really fast, with sudden drops." The element of danger makes it more exciting during the early morning, when lifeguards are not yet on duty, Cassady said.

Monster waves that scared even the lifeguards. Riptides that dragged hardy swimmers out to sea. Nervous mothers. Stoked surfers. Across Southern California on Wednesday, the biggest swell of the summer--indeed, one of the biggest in recent memory--turned normally placid waters ferocious. At Newport Beach's famous ripping ground known as the Wedge, surfers braved 20-foot waves. At Malibu's Surfrider Beach, waves reached 12 feet, three times the normal height.

Southern California lifeguards are geared up for a large south swell, fueled by a storm from Tahiti, that is expected to hit Southland beaches today, producing five- to eight-foot waves in many areas and surf up to 20 feet at some south-facing beaches in Orange County. The swell--possibly the biggest of the year--was already beginning to show on Tuesday with reports of five- to six-foot breakers.

Orange County lifeguards are geared up for a large south swell, fueled by a storm off Tahiti, that's expected to hit Southland beaches today, producing 5- to 8-foot waves in many areas and surf up to 10 to 20 feet at south-facing beaches. The swell--possibly the biggest of the year--was already beginning to show Tuesday with reports of 5- to 6-foot breakers and was expected to build during the night, hit a high today or Thursday, and drop slowly through Saturday.