Hurricane Marie has been a Labor Day Weekend spectacular in SoCal.
Carnage, epic waves, heroic rescues. It had it all. And another such instance shows a terrifying display of raw oceanic power, as the San Pedro breakwater and iconic, century-old Angel’s Gate Lighthouse completely swell. Battering Southern California’s coastline with relentless force, the colossal waves provided a sober reminder that despite humanity’s best coastal engineering, Mother Nature always holds the upper hand.
Take a peek at the scene here and below, and prepare to feel really small against the unstoppable force of Mother Nature.
Drone footage captured by Carl Sbarounis showed the exact moment towering, white-capped waves breached the massive granite barrier, swamping and completely submerging the 2.2-mile breakwater built to defend San Pedro Bay and the Port of Los Angeles—the busiest container shipping port in the Western Hemisphere.
As liquid mountains crashed violently over the stone structure and repeatedly enveloped the historic 1913 lighthouse in thick, blinding spray, the raging seas created major logistical headaches for maritime traffic, halting commercial ferry runs, snapping barge moorings, and forcing cargo-handling terminals to temporarily suspend ship loading operations.
Highlighting the extreme severity of the historic southern swell event, forecasters at the National Weather Service issued urgent warnings regarding life-threatening surf and widespread coastal erosion across south-facing beaches, describing the atmospheric phenomenon as:
“The most significant southerly swell event since July 25, 1996… with the potential to cause structural damage and significant beach erosion.”
Related: Towering Waves Demolish Sand Berms As Hurricane Marie Annihilates Long Beach, CA (Watch)
The physical destruction to the breakwater itself was extensive, causing dozens of major structural breaches along the protective rock wall that required emergency federal repairs. Assessing the severe impact on harbor infrastructure, coastal erosion, and commercial shipping lanes, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials noted:
“The major damages here from Hurricane Marie and the disruption to our vessel operations just underscore the critical part that the federal breakwater plays in protecting the harbor.”
While surfers flocked to marquee spots from Malibu to Newport Beach, the shocking aerial footage of Angel’s Gate Lighthouse standing solitary against swallowing ocean surges remains the ultimate testament to the sea’s sheer, unstoppable force.
Related: Hurricane Marie Swallows Car with Big Surf in SoCal During Labor Day Flooding (Video)
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