Haute Spot: The WedgeBy: Cameron Davis and Drake Tharp
Located in Newport Beach at the east most end of the balboa peninsula, the world famous break known as The Wedge is known for its famous “wedging” peak capable of producing 20ft+ waves when a south swell hits the jetty just right. Everyone knows the wedge for its huge waves however most of the year the waves are fairly small and there’s also usually a medium size crowd out in the water. But the wedge is definitely still fun on smaller days especially when its hollow* and around 6-10 ft. Wedge is also sometimes known for harsh localism by some in the water. However we’ve found that most people there tend to be fairly nice. The best technique to avoid getting yelled at or confronted is to just find that one guy whose being super aggressive and giving stink eye’s to everyone taking “his” waves and just stay out of his way. We definitely don’t recommend the average novice going out at wedge or trying to learn to bodysurf there, but you’re probably fine to go out if you’ve had the equivalent of about a year of junior guards or a summers worth of beach experience. This experience is necessary due to Wedge’s unusual combination of shore break and force even on the smallest of days. One must also be aware of side wave, which forms off of the jetty. Body boarders tend to come out of nowhere out of the side wave and into the main break, which catches people off guard causing frequent collisions. The closest restaurants are about a mile and a half north at A Street, so we recommend eating before you go. The best spots would have to be Great Mex, Ruby’s out on the Pier, and New York style Pizza, which are all located right around A Street. There are also a few places to get a bagel or some sort of breakfast item if you’re one of those early birds. We also highly recommend you to go to Wedge during one of its massive swells during the summer just to watch. |