El Niño Swell Bombards Southern California as Wedge Goes Berserk (Photos)

Was anybody really surprised?

For the past six months, we’ve been hearing about the gargantuan El Niño brewing in the Pacific. The forecasts. The predictions. The promises of a fall and winter filled with relentless swell, cranking surf, and all sorts of oceanic mayhem.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s finally here.

Southern California’s fall surf season kicked off with an absolute bang, as back-to-back swells bombarded the coastline. Throw in a few days of howling Santa Ana winds, and suddenly some of the region’s most iconic breaks were firing on all cylinders.

And then there was the Wedge.

As expected, Newport Beach’s infamous mutant shorebreak went completely berserk. Towering walls of water, monstrous closeouts, impossibly steep drops, and the usual cast of lunatics throwing themselves over the ledge. It was beautiful, terrifying, and downright ridiculous. In other words, classic Wedge.

But the madness wasn’t confined to Newport Beach. Up and down the coast, marquee spots came alive as surfers scrambled to capitalize on the seemingly endless run of swell. There were barrels, beatdowns, blown minds, and plenty of sore bodies.

And photographers were there to capture every glorious moment.

From the lens of Jeremiah Klein to the work of Kalani Cummins and Owen Beim, the following gallery showcases the best, the biggest, and the most outrageous moments from Southern California’s spectacular start to fall.

The craziest part? This is only the beginning.

With El Niño expected to keep the Pacific energized through winter, there’s reason to believe the best may still be ahead of us.

For now, feast your eyes on the madness. And maybe clear your calendar.

Jeremiah Klein

“Fall in SoCal is always a double-edged sword when the strong multi-day offshores kick up. The same wind that causes destruction with a spark can also produce clean, buttery, all day tubes. It’s one of those dichotomies that can make your head spin trying to decide whether to celebrate or despise these glorious Santa Anas.

“Selfishly as a surf photographer, strong offshores are my favorite conditions to shoot in. Last week’s run of swell and magical wind made for some beautiful barrels at Wedge. It was dreamy everywhere along the coast but still hard for me to explore other spots and get variety. Wedge is so predictably dynamic that if you spend enough time there, something special is bound to happen like Bobby Okvist sharing a wave with backwash.”

Follow Jeremiah Klein here.

Owen Beim

“I think last week was the most amount of time I have ever spent in the water in a span of seven days. I probably clocked around 25-30 total hours in the water over the span of this swell run. I pretty much checked Wedge every single day at sunrise Monday-Sunday of last week, which is something I have never done before.

“This season has most definitely been the craziest one I have ever seen. I’ve never seen such a consistent few months with such long runs of swell with solid size in my life. This October run has been one for the books, but definitely really hard to line one up. With all the water moving, you really had to work hard to be in the right spot at the right time. But when all the elements came together that’s where the magic was found.”

Follow Owen Beim here.

Kalani Cummins

“I think I clocked more hours in the water than on land this past week…the sunburn and wetsuit rash say it all. The swell and Santa Anas lined up perfectly, capping off an incredible run of waves. A dream stretch of conditions from behind the lens.”

Follow Kalani Cummins here.