Huge waves and heavy rain hit Los Angeles January 14th leaving a few adrenaline chasing surfers scrambling to make it out. Thanks for watching! I'm Brad Jacobson and I'll sea ya on the sand.
I spent the first 30 yrs of my life living just north of El Porto in Westchester/ Playa Del Rey. One of the places that helped me learn to surf was El Porto and the double break when it got big storm swells. The inside waves were safe. Great footage. I've actually seen it big like this many times, I'm 57 yrs old. I've seen it like this, 15 feet, but with better shape, not closing out. One of my best and oldest friends, since 1st grade, lived above the parking lot at Porto from about 19 yrs old until late 30s. The problem with the Santa Monica Bay Beaches is the direct West facing coastline, especially mid and southbay. Storms will build sandbars and then storms wash them away. Waves will get big but the shape is usually not great. But, I've seen with my own eyes and good friends from the neighborhood have photos of epic surf at El Porto that you would think you were looking at waves from Hawai'i or Tavarua or Jeffrie's. Great video. Measuring waves is always an arguable subject. These were not 30ft or at least the ones in the video weren't. 15-18 ft maybe 20ft and even that is arguable to some people.
Those biggest waves were definitely massive and virtually unrideable, so I have respect for those who tried and went through so much to get a wave. As for the size, I know this is a tough thing to judge when they are so large. But I don't think I saw a wave I would guess to be 30' plus. Maybe 20-25'. The distance from the crest to the trough is a bit tricky to judge, but in your initial analysis using the pointer, I think maybe you considered the bottom of the wave too low--below the true bottom of the trough. Oh well, I'm no expert either.
Aye. I think Brad got a little fudgy on the 30+ estimate. But I appreciate the try. Either way fun vid as always. Poor guy at @0:27 was probably sorry he was ever born ;-)
30 ft is starting to be Mavericks size. Those weren't 30 ft but probably close to 20 ft in the video. Jan 14 was a massive day though and with lots of rain out.
Im kind of glad you did this. It gives me perspective. Now that ive seen this, I can honestly answer people when they ask me the biggest waves ive ridden
Something that shouldn't go unnoticed. The speed at which the huge outside waves are being cleared by surfers while paddling out tells you how difficult it is to get the perfect timing to catch one.
I had never believed our local Los Angeles beaches had the ability to bring these kind of waves. I think I must return to the ocean once again. Thank you for bringing back my stoke!
Been loving these videos! Would you be able to include the surf report in these videos? Like wave height from the buoy, swell interval, height of the tide rising/dropping? I think a few of us out here would appreciate those small details! Thanks!
Great birdseye view. I have some footage from porto from ‘98. It was probably half that size. I hadnt surfed for 5 years. I borrowed a board from a friend who wanted nothing to do with 15ft porto. I took the beating of my life trying to get out. Closest ive ever been to drowning. I finally made it, caught my breath, contemplated my life, took one wave and rode it all the way to the beach. Inside was firing... perfect 8’ barrels. My brother and his friend were body boarding it. They probably had way more fun than I did. Thanks again for the rad footage.
if porto was 30ft then ocean beach was 100ft. Your arrows go way down into the flats. Massive waves for SoCal and very heavy but call it what it is: 6-12ft
@@J_h_420 12ft beach break is no joke double black diamond but 20ft is like small Mavericks big wave surfing and that is not what went down in Manhattan Beach.
I appreciate how you highlight the difficulty of paddling out through big waves. I was on a 8 foot Costco foamy for a while and trying to paddle out through sizeable sets at Blacks Beach was just impossible. I mean I didn't have the greatest physical strength but it was so demoralizing to not even be able to make it past the breakers sometimes
haha gotta love the costco wavestorm special! it's unironically a great starter board, but definitely don't feel bad about not being able to make it out on the bigger days on one of those, it can be tricky to get that much foam under/past breaking waves. we've all been there at some point. Good luck out there!
I lived right there almost next door on the strand in 1976 where I met my wife Kim Wolterman RIP, one half block north of Rosecrans. Best year of my life! Now I am in -15 degree weather living in Fort Dodge, Iowa, my how life changes, just have to roll with the punches.
The narration and explanation of the different types of waves, the problems they presented, the problems the surfers had, and so on.....that was just excellent. Really informative and makes what goes on in the video so much more interesting and understandable. The remarks about the direction of the wind and how this made the surf look...this was so good. This man should write. He certainly should write commentaries to most videos about surfing. I'm sure that surfers understand all these things. But there are those who find it really interesting to look at these videos, but can't understand the significance of what is shown. I'm in that category. I find such videos so interesting. Yet don't really understand what I'm seeing. There is zero chance that I'll ever even stand on a shore. I have a genetic neurological problem. My life takes place on a cheap mattress, with my head & knees propped up, & my right hand resting on my stomach with a pc mouse in it. I can move my right hand, so I can select things to watch on RU-vid. I wish this fellow did the narration of most videos that are about looking at waves and surfing. He really brings out what is happening and makes it come alive for people like me.
Totally agree! I am no surfer, heck I’m too terrified to go near a 2 foot wave let alone anything past my toes in the tiny, sweet mannered, lapping surf but I absolutely love watching people surf big and small sets.. from the comfort of my home 😊
Amazing session. I've been washed to shore at Mushrooms, down by K38 on a big, consistent day, but it wasn't near this big. There were those big rocks so as I got washed toward them I had to paddle to a big one and climb on.
Damn that's incredible. Even the inside wave is real enough but doable and then you see the wall of the next outside coming in behind...those outside monsters are way to big and unruly can't tell which one is gonna break and which one is gonna just smash wow and props to the guys that went for it. What a hefty paddle out huh?
'or how to get in' Indeed. Once I was out on a big day at Manresa with a friend and in about 15 minutes it went from big rideable to larger 100 yard long booming closeouts every wave. A young surfer paddled up and asked us what to do. You gotta catch one, go straight and don't fall I said. My friend and I took off together and looked at each other with big smiles after making the drop.
I think it was the same day; Zuma was as giant as could be. Pouring rain, heavy offshores, perfect rights holding up, no one out. Thrilling to see that much power and beauty in LA.
A few problems with this math. 1. Always assume a surfer is about 5ft tall because it's rare that while riding a wave or paddling that one would be standing straight up or fully stretched out. so with crunch space, 5ft is the metric. 2. From the vantage point the trough is actually higher up. The period makes it seem bigger since there is longer distance between sets, the best vantage point for exact measurement is as close to the water line as possible. I'd say that wave was between 15-18ft. But thats just my best guess. It's not an exact science. I'm from Florida so we exaggerate everything over here, 3ft is head high, 6 is 8, 10 is 20. But everywhere exaggerates Hawaii kind of undersells it until it's really big and then everything is 50ft. And I'd say the size of the face isn't really the best measure of how big a wave is either, the intensity of certain breaks just hits different at different swell heights.
Dang! I’ve lived in SoCal my whole life and I’ve never seen waves that big here. I think the biggest I’ve seen was around twelve foot at Zuma beach this past summer and I thought those were scary. Wow! So cool that you caught these on camera.
Really enjoy your videos, Brad. You had to have heard this before, but your narrating style reminds me of Warren Miller in his ski films. Is it just my imagination, or was he an influence on you, whether consciously or unconsciously?
I'am not sure with the arrow method. The longest time that a crest of a wave is falling down was 1,1-1,2 secundes. The height is defined with the free fall formula as h = 0,5 * g * t^2. g is the acceleration of the gravitiy while falling down t the falling time. so h = 0,5 * 9,81 m/s^2 * (1,2s)^2 = 7 m (23 ft) max.. A wave over 30 ft need for breaking over 1,4 secundes. You can check it with the picture per secondes function on youtube. But waves are not meassured from the back or front. They are meassured peak to peak or amplitude in y direction and periode or velocity in x direction. Peak to peak is the wave height. A 20 ft tall wave is 10 ft amplitude because the wave hight is twice of the amplitude.
@@TheFatblob25 I dont think I have seen a normal left or right barrel surfable for more than a few seconds? Maybe windsurf up or down the coast, depending on wind and swell directions? Flying past all those sea stacks, that would be crazy.
I spent 12 years on Oahu and my comfort zone is about 4 feet overhead. Single fin longboard. I was drooling over those outside swells! Thats where I'd be! Catch it early and dip out before the shortboard lineup 😁 Those closeouts looked BRUTAL!
gret waves hitting LA REMINDES ME OF elMINO MANY YEAR S AGO. surfed A LOT OF BIG DAYS & BIG WAVES BUT THE BEST I know and remember more waves that I can not forget and the best barrel and more I ever had was living close to the spot. Not during el Nino and it is nut that consistent it breaks its best but when it gets hit on a big South swell from the right degrees of course . It breaks so good it is scary which was a good rhing keeping many from paddling out. d0uble overhead the barels very thick crashing hard far out in front that nade them look kind of squarefrom the side wen and the witewash when cheking it from the area of the pier when I woke u and heard the sound knew I had to see if it was e soundit probably was hey hit looked huge and SAW cameras wirh big lenses on tripods on the sand where the water meets it. I had to grab my board that from what I hear is not the best to surf on big waves like this . I did not worry when I was young er surfing Mark Richards was my favorite pro and he road big surf with no issues riding them great . I grabbed my first short board I bought and had rode it often for quite some time, I paddled out and new how it broke and whar it took to surf the point going off! The wave comes in fast tall & steep you paddle hard and when you catch it and feeling it is time to pop up quick and droppping in at a bit of angle to the left the way its breaking no time for a big bottom turn. You need to hope you get some good speed fast and the thick barrel of water is over your head and you are in it now. The inside of it with the sound and atmoshere change nore amplfied than any other barrrel I have had and I had had quite a few. but from all that I have had from San Miguel on a bigbig west swell to a big day at Blacks with great barrels there after a few sprays off the top and it incoming inside and you have some speed surfing right down the line and tuck into a nice barrel there! I spent my summer before senior year of high school living in an abandon house at K38 1/2 it was like paradise grat waves a lot but the barrel rides dud not happen often so often there. BUT GOT ALOY BETTER WUTH MY BACKSIDE SURFING THE RIGHTS INTO ITS COVE!sTILL NO BARREL i HAVE BEEEN IN CAN COMPARE TO ONES THAT CAME OCSDIONALLYAT tHE pOINT IT IS LABELED BUT IS ALSO CALLED FOR WHEN IT BREAKS ON THOSE BIG SWELLS YHROUGH THE DEEP UNDERWATER SHAPE OF SEA FLOOR THE BIG SWELL TRAVELS UP ONTO THE SHALLOWER SURFACE OF THE POINTS SAND THATS NOTSO DEEP FROM THE RIGHT DEGREES WHEN IT HITS IT IT BARRELS SO GOOD IT IS ALSO CALLED cALIFOTNIA pIPE lINE DO NOT ASK WHAT DEGREES THIS IS iT IS CLASSIFIED FOR GOOD REASON AND IT HAS BEEN MANY YEARS SINCE i LIVED CLOSE TO IT i HAD TO GO TO WORK IN MY CAREER INSTALLING AND REPAIRING ESCALATORSS AND ELEVATORS GIVING THE WORLD A LIFT. bUT i STILL THANK gOD FOR THE GREAT WAVES TO SURF i HAVE HAD. i ALSO THANK HIM FOR THE STEEP AND DEEP POWDERi HAVE HAD CHASING IT WITH A FRIEND WITH A HOUSE TO GO TO SOMETIMES IN tahoe WHO i have spent time surfing with here and in zzzbaja and want todo some more He lives down there a lot and I want to go down there to surf and off roadsome in a old Full Size BroncoI bought .I liked them from out campimg and huntin in my dads with him . After having a couple SCABOTAS THAT KEPT RUNNING AND GOING A LOT OF PLACES OFFF ROAD . ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTHE LAST ONE BEFORE THIS bRONCO DID WELL FROM WHEN AAAAAAAAAAAAI BOUGHT IT WITH A trd BUILT BLOCK AND MAKUNI INTAKE AND CAM AND KICKERS AMD BIG weber cAB DID GOOD IN THE SAAND AND OFF ROAD EXEPT YHE FRONT SHOCK HOOPS WOULDBREAK EASY WITH rANCHOS IN THOSE UNTIL i GOT DESERT STEEL ONES ANDMADE THE BOX FRAME WERE THEY MOUNTED STRONGER SO IT COULD NOT GET SMALLER WHERE THE BOLTS MOUNTED THEM YO IT AND WERE NOT AS TIGHT AS THEY SHOULD BE A LITTLE TO MUCH PLAY WOULD ZAUSE THEM TO BREAK AND RGE RINGS WERE ATARTING TO GO MAKING BLACK SMOKE VOME FROM THE EXAUST AI SOLD IT TO TWO GUYS TAKING IT TO MEXICO KNOWING THE MOG LAWS IN COMMIEFOTNIA WOULD NE HARDER TO FIND SOME PLACE TO PASS IT AND IT WAS STILL JUST A 4 CYLINDER. i ASKED A FRIEND THAT RACED OFF ROAD HAD A TREAM AND MADE PERFORMANCE PARTS THEY TOLDME TO GET TO MAKE A GOOD ONE FOR A LOT LESS i CAN DO A LOT OF IT MYSELF.tHE FULL SIZE bRONCO IS GREAT WIYJ THE ttb INDEPENDENT YOU CAN BUILD IT TO HAVE A GOD AMOUNT OF WHEEL TRAVEL WIT 4 WHEEL DRIVE AND IT WILL DO WELLL. i BOUGHT ONE AND STARTED WORKING ON IT AND WITH ALOT OF TIME FINDING GOOD PRICES ON GOOD PARTS AND INFORMATION ON THINGS AND HOW TO DO WORK LIKE CHANGE THE FRONT END BODY STYLE FINDING A PART OUT FROM A 96 FENDERA CORE SUPPORT AND A HOOD FIBER GLASS SO MY TIRES COLD TRAVEL UP INSIDE OF THEMAND THE SPINDLES THE BRAKE CALAPERS ATACHED TO WITH BOLTS INSTESD OF THE RUBBER INSIDE THIN METAL PINS bEDSIDES i ALSO HAD TO GRET OFF ROAD LIGHTS AND UPGRADE TO hid gEARS AND LOCKERS BUILT TRANSMISSION AND REBUIKLD THE TRANSFER CASE MYSEF GUSSER AND PLATR AND BUILD UP THE LONG RADIUS ATMS TO BEAAMS MOUTED WITH BIG STAINLSS STEEL HEIM JOINTS.THEN i CHANGED MY MIND FROM RUNNING DUAL Rcerunners to a single per wheel bigger King. Happy I dis and at the Mint 400 On my mission to thank Brettt I found out after that looking at pictures my know wife took a close shot of BJ BSLDWIN she did not know who it was and said he was staring at me walk past not seeeing him I tod her he might gave came with me. Brett was happy ro hear my thanks for the ones I ordered from him after went to a scale to weigh my Bronco seperat front and back wiyj wgat I planned to carry in it. He then introduced me to his dad Lance King the King of Kingd he was also happy to hear how much I liked them and knowing he owned the shock company the best rscers used before King Kuster shocks then he was wuth SWAY away and then started the King Shocks used today! I have an upgrade now in it I have not jhad a chance to give an off road test and cant wait to see how it does! I know it will be way better from what it had pushing the petsl to the floor !
I surfed at Venice beach (a little south or north of there depending on the day) as well as way up in Ventura. Those waves are terrifying haha holy smokes man. I have never seen this happen before at this beach.
Look Brad the waves are big yes .But real seasoned surfers Never judge the waves by the faces we are humble and don't exaggerate!! If the face of a wave is as you say 33feet that means it's 12 to 16 foot . But a Claimer would say it's 33 feet out there , for click bait , bragging, or a inflated Ego? Those waves at the end are not as you Claim. But keep up your stoke start measuring the waves by the backs like Hawaiians 🤙 or in relation to the human body ( head high , overhead , ECT thanks
Hawaiian style, socal style, whatsever style doesn't exist.... Waves are not meassured from the back or front. They are meassured peak to peak or amplitude in y-direction and periode or velocity in x-direction. Peak to peak is the wave height. A 20 ft tall wave is 10 ft amplitude because the wave hight is twice of the amplitude.I'am not sure with the arrow method. The longest time that a crest of a wave is falling down in this Video was 1,1-1,2 secundes. The height is defined with the free fall formula as h = 0,5 * g * t^2. g is the acceleration of the gravitiy while falling down t the falling time. so h = 0,5 * 9,81 m/s^2 * (1,2s)^2 = 7 m (23 ft) max.. But a wave over 30 ft need for breaking over 1,4 secundes. You can check it with the picture per secondes function on youtube.
@@XXXICKYXXX It's a meteorological and physical accurat system that i took yes. Even in Hawaii these system is existing because it is standardized. Usuall there is no other. For example when a racing car is driving 150 mph, there is no Hawaiian 60 mph, or other style with 70 80 mph. A velocitiy of 150 mph is guranteed as 60-80 in Hawaii.... not really. Height and velocity are calculated or measured value. Trust me. If the wave falls down in 1,1 secondes than the velocity of crashing on the surface of water is v = g * t So v = 9,81 m/s^2 * 1,1 s = 10,8 m/s (24,2 mph). So it would be 10 mph in Hawaii. Not really.... a 20 ft tall wave is even in hawaii 20 ft tall like everywhere in the world.
@@XXXICKYXXX No it's because of the horizontal throw in the formula..... 1.) h = 0,5 * g * t^2 2.) v = g * t from Ekin = Epot. There is a conection. Not aquivalence, speed with hieght
@@XXXICKYXXX Furthermore an estimation is not suffisend. You see 20 ft "faces" = 10 ft "backs or Hawaiian". You estimated 5-7 ft. Where is the rest of the 40% of the wave. Underestimation. it's defective not sufficient.
@@XXXICKYXXXor an other example. Velocity is defined as traveld distance divided by time. 20 ft per secundes = 14 mph. 20 ft is a.. I don't know.... looks for me more like 10-12 ft doesn't matter what a correct standradized measuerment is saying. so you get 10 ft per secondes not 20 ft and that makes 7 mph not correct 14 mph...
Ye the face is 33ft but I think when most people say how big the waves are they refer to the back of it so the back was prob like 20ft(very rough estimate)
Yout can calculate the wave height. Waves are not meassured from the back or front. They are meassured peak to peak or amplitude in y-direction and periode or velocity in x-direction. Peak to peak is the wave height. A 20 ft tall wave is 10 ft amplitude because the wave hight is twice of the amplitude.I'am not sure with the arrow method. The longest time that a crest of a wave is falling down in this Video was 1,1-1,2 secundes. The height is defined with the free fall formula as h = 0,5 * g * t^2. g is the acceleration of the gravitiy while falling down t the falling time. so h = 0,5 * 9,81 m/s^2 * (1,2s)^2 = 7 m (23 ft) max.. But a wave over 30 ft need for breaking over 1,4 secundes. You can check it with the picture per secondes function on youtube. So i'am not sure with this arrow method.
@@michaelstrode8924 No 23 ft max see the calculation. Waves are not meassured from the back or front. They are meassured peak to peak or amplitude in y-direction and periode or velocity in x-direction. Peak to peak is the wave height. A 20 ft tall wave is 10 ft amplitude because the wave hight is twice of the amplitude.I'am not sure with the arrow method. The longest time that a crest of a wave is falling down in this Video was 1,1-1,2 secundes. The height is defined with the free fall formula as h = 0,5 * g * t^2. g is the acceleration of the gravitiy while falling down t the falling time. so h = 0,5 * 9,81 m/s^2 * (1,2s)^2 = 7 m (23 ft) max.. But a wave over 30 ft need for breaking over 1,4 secundes. You can check it with the picture per secondes function on youtube. So i'am not sure with this arrow method.
Waves are not meassured from the back or front. They are meassured peak to peak or amplitude in y-direction and periode or velocity in x-direction. Peak to peak is the wave height. A 20 ft tall wave is 10 ft amplitude because the wave hight is twice of the amplitude.I'am not sure with the arrow method. The longest time that a crest of a wave is falling down in this Video was 1,1-1,2 secundes. The height is defined with the free fall formula as h = 0,5 * g * t^2. g is the acceleration of the gravitiy while falling down t the falling time. so h = 0,5 * 9,81 m/s^2 * (1,2s)^2 = 7 m (23 ft) max.. But a wave over 30 ft need for breaking over 1,4 secundes. You can check it with the picture per secondes function on youtube. So i'am not sure with this arrow method.
The face is always bigger than the actual wave. Waves are measured crest to trough. The face sucked up water before making it seem larger than it is. That's probably a 28 foot wace... Still impressive.
Cool clip for sure. 30ft faces I'd guess, but doesn't really help that it appears to be only mainland USA that still regards wave face in feet as a reasonable assessment of wave size. To us, that's solid sure, but Tanner's wave at the 7min mark isn't even 6ft - it's double overhead at best. Rad nonetheless, and no doubt big for El Porto (which I've surfed stacks).
The guy is at an angle so I give each arrow 5 ft. The bottom arrow point to about 40 ft in front of the wave. That would make the wave 25 ft. But, the still is taken from a raised angle which exaggerates the hight. Take a curved piece of paper and look at it from a tangent or as though your eye height with the water and then tilt it up. You'll see the length grow. I'd give this wave 20 ft max if that.
For real, check 0:24 and you can clearly see from the people in the wave its not anywhere close to 33 feet lmao not even 20. I would think an experienced surf photographer would be able to tell how big waves are...
Way over estimated. You not only overestimated the guy's probable height but you measured the bottom trough of the wave. So take away at least one of your arrows. And not to mention that most wave measurement in surfing measures the back of the wave, not the front. So you cut the size in half when measuring the back of the wave. So if we take away one of your arrow measurements at least and even if your guy is six feet, You might be able to get away with saying these waves approached double overhead which would make the waves maybe 12 feet max. still quite big but definitely not 30ft+
