You don't want to SURF The Wedge 

It's a spectacular place for spectators. When those big sets come in and that big peak doubles (or more) in size in the span of a second or two, there's a collective gasp from the onlookers. It's pretty fun. I've never been tempted to go out. In the words of Dirty Harry, "A man's got to know his limitations".

Before boogie boards, this spot was a bodysurfing rite of passage, famous for broken collarbones. If you hadn't surfed the wedge, you lost face. I still remember the hoots of laugher , and cheers of derision as I took off on my first try at the wedge. I was kind of embarrassed when the hooting and pointing from the rocks happened actually before I even took off, but that was quickly replaced by being held down in some kind of giant washing machine. I hadn't developed any coping mechanisms for being held down, my mind was without a survival plan at the time, so I was just starting to freak out over the time underwater when I realized I could just stand up, the water level was now below my knees. My skills were low, but what's a young man to do, not keep up with his friends? Fortunately for me, eventually the ocean took a liking to me, but she took a lot of convincing before bestowing such a heavenly prize.

Great video. Have so much respect for the Wedge Surfers, Bodyboarders and Bodysurfers. As a 53 Year old intermediate Bodyboarder I think my crashes on a 4-6 ft wave at Newport 40th is hard on the body and I can only imagine the wear and tear from the wedge.

That was your most entertaining video yet, Brad! A-Game commentary, the rewind/forward combo is just so fun to watch. The wave IS the star; this video is great wave-watching, as well (of course) the human hamburger factor :) Excellent!

Thank you so much for slowing it down and narrating in the process. Very informative and entertaining. I’m 69 and obviously would never surf the wedge. This video made me smile from ear to ear and my brain was creating alpha “waves” pretending I was actually surfing it! Thank you!

Great commentary for us non surfers. Mad respect for a sport I've never been apart of. Skateboarding and snowboarding I'm familiar with but this is crazy. I almost drown in Mexico in Puerto Esondido in big waves. I was just messing around body surfing and got locked into a horrible set and a lot of under tow. I was exausted and survived and I since have much greater respect for the power of the ocean. There is barely a power greater. Until you know that power, you'll underestimate it evertime

Great commentating on the waves and what the surfers and bodyboarders are doing and going through. It makes it more fun!

Love the Drone footage!!!

This is a great bodysurfing break, especially when it’s not too gnarly. I wouldn’t wanna surf it, shits crazy man

Amazing video! It'd be great to see interviews with Wedge locals. That furious wave must create gnarly locals.

I’m like 90% sure I am the guy slamming into the blue body boarder at 9:00…. Sorry blue body boarder. It was a mistake.

Fascinated by this wave and your commentary is superb! 👍

Love these analysis videos, keep doing them! This and Malibu were awesome

*I always wanted to surf it, as it was a local spot near me, but back in the day it was a body surfers hang out, mostly black balled, I never saw it being worth a broken board, or fin up the ass.* *Not to mention; I respect it as a body surfers wave, and give it up to them.*

I truly admire humans who surf. The ocean terrifies me. I wish it wasn’t the way, but she does. Waves, specifically, light such a fire of phobia inside of me that I’m scared just watching this clip. 😩🌊

We need more videos like these Brad👍

We surfed there in the 70s, if I’m not mistaken board surfing was outlawed for a while there but we tried anyways! Got my clock cleaned for sure!😂

2:45 Looks like a spine twister back breaker. Here's my advice. Every wipeout you take, roll into a ball like a little rolly polly bug. Or a turtle. Ball up. To protect your head and your spine and your feet too. Laceration on my foot by my fin taught me this lesson, to ball up every time i fall. Hope this advice helps somebody out there.

Just the pure insanity of the wave makes the wedge one of my favorite places to surf even though it's an hour drive away. Never been worked so hard and yet had so much fun.

You surf/bodysurf/ etc. the Wedge to get pounded, that's kinda the point, especially at low tide. I used to surf there in the 80's-90's and the side wave wasn't really a thing back then. At red flag, normally on a big south swell, an ambulance/ paramedics would be parked there waiting for someone to be injured. The wave changed a lot over the years. The wave seamed to be more dangerous back then but maybe that's just me getting older. 😉 Nice video, thanks for sharing.

Great analysis! With slo-mo you can take in the full horror of these wipeouts!

I once got paralyzed from the waist down after landing on my back hitting the shallow bottom. I thought I was going to be permanetely paralyzed but with 5-10 minutes I got my feeling back. Got lucky.

THE Best entertaining video on the Wedge. I even learned some things, and I used to body surf it, in waves this big and bigger in the 1960s with a Wedge regular.. I like the quote about the Chiropractor. I bet in the future you will see one there with a big sign and a fold up table, unfolded and waiting to straighten some of these guys out! Some whip lashes for sure too.

Cant believe I missed this one, lucky I check my subscription feeds for missed videos. Thanks Brad!

i could watch these vids for hours. cheers

I went to the wedge not knowing what it was and tried to ride on my body board. The first thing that happen was I went straight down full speed board went right into the sand while my body bent feet nearly touching the back of my head then the wave dragging me through the sand at full speed under the shallow water. Then the life guard came running and told me and my buddies to get out cause it wasnt worth it.😂

Back in July 2005 we were in Newport and got the call the Wedge was "popping off" and being from the East Coast, we had to come out and see. Was one of the most unique surf experiences I ever witnessed. Loads of players in the water, so many lenses pointed at the waves....I had to watch it with my own eyes for a good 30 mins before I even thought pointing my camera at it and getting some shots. What a wave.

Great video of what happens at the Wedge. Superb at showing us how the wave works there. I surfed for years but was never brave enough to go there.

Grew up in CdM and lived at the Wedge every 6ft + swell in the mid 80s to mid 90s. I can surf but never did there, only body and sponging, for these reasons. I also valued my 6'6" Channel Isl. far too much for a 1-2 second barrel. Though it does provide the best free salt/sand scrub you can find! PS: he didnt do the right thing at 6:37... he should have bottom turned and cut back into the face of the wave... saving energy paddling back out!

Great presentation, love the narration. This wave looks unrideable. Dudes are nuts.

You should take the best and funniest one's of these and turn them into shorts. You'd gain hella views off of that cause some of these are hysterical. You remind me of Jomboy's breakdowns with this style of video and I love his stuff so please do more of these if you can. A+ content.

I love these kind of videos, great job!

When I grew up there was no surfing at the Wedge. Body surfing or sponging only. Had a lot of great times out there when I was young.

Yeah. Awesome breakdowns. Great to see the dissections of the rides. 😎🌴🌊🌊

After what happened to mikala in the ments the other day it amazes me how that kind of thing doesn’t happen here!

Totally great!!!🎉

i miss the late 80s and 90s wedge days were good like really good. spitting chunks every wave for months straight

These videos are very educational and instructive, I really enjoy them. One comment, could you play the clips at normal speed after you explain them? Keep up the great stuff and thank you!

Brad Jacobson this was a great video!

The wave to the camera tho😂😂

Great video!

YEOW!!! GET AT IT

Funny commentary. I live in Australia, and back in the day remember a boog video by Scott Carter called "the inside". It was a great surf vid. It had a wedge feature with Chad Barber dominating.

Gnarly dude !😮

Looks like maybe some 18’ coming out tomorrow morning. I’m new to the area and I’ve never shot there before so I’m stoked. Super awesome video and thanks for the coaching on getting great images.

amazing video and communication bro!!

Beautiful peak that should peel off nicely in each direction.. but then.. No Exit.

Well ... obviously that's a wipeout reel... But if you know what you're looking at...and you're really picky when choosing your waves...you can continue riding it into your 50's...and you can survive and do it relatively safely... Ask me how I know 😉. If I was gonna diagnose what's wrong in these situations...most of the time it starts with too much West in the angle, and probably an early- (or inconsistent-) season sand bar, that isn't far enough out, to make the waves break in the right spot, out by the Jetty. Sure, more westerly angles makes for more sidewave energy... But it also makes for more closeout clamshell end sections - and rights coming over, towards you, from Cylinders. I pick my days pretty carefully. So far, I've missed a couple good days this year... But I'm also in good shape, for when the primo conditions come - and so are my tools.

need to see john john out there just once on a big day

Not a surfer, watched a few surf films is about it. But this is a great video to help me appreciate it more.

the superman at 4:06 is too good😂

never been more afraid in the ocean than being trapped in between sets at the wedge and barely treading water looking at the beach 20 feet away wouldn't get in now.

That was great - thanks!

Right at 11:30 that guy resembled the Cardiff Kook to a tee. The first time I've ever seen it played out.

funny to watch when they know they're in for a beating

Good video 📹 Thanks!

When did the Wedge change so much? I used to live on Miramar St. and the Wedge was all body surfers. It had the wave come across, hit the jetty, then reverse direction, making for the best body surfing! The Wedge was well known but never crowded like this at all. When there was a HUGE storm, some pretty much daredevil bodyboarders with helmets came out and were the only ones going out. This was back in the mid to late 90s. It was such a short, harsh break.... I cannot ever remember seeing a single surfboard there! When the change?

Back in 80’s the lifeguards only allowed boogie boarding on weekends. You had to move over a 100 yds to surf. Still good. Getting slammed though by these waves wasn’t bad. It felt like a wet sand bath rubbing you down into bottom. Looks worse then is.

Brad this was a great documentary!

Carnage what’s the fun there 😮

If you can surf the Wedge, you got some bolls!

Paralyzed a friend back in the late 60’s

I don’t even want to watch it😮

You need to do a PhD on the Wedge!

super entertaining

as an old bellyboarder love these slow motion views

This is great, we need another video of the best makes at the wedge

Grew up in HB and spent manny hours at the Wedge. PArt of the aura is getting pounded/

Love this vid!

2:51 my god that's a thick lip. Hey he got barreled on that first part!

Moved to Newport from Seattle after high school, went bofysurf and had no clue. On first wave I was dropped off lip straight onto my face and heard a crunch up my neck. First Wave equaled last wave as I said "f*ck it, I'm out."

On my bodysurf bucket list. Sailed there from Hawaii but swell was not working.

What happens is it sucks the water In front of it rapidly because if the layout... Believe me tons of sand get displaced when that lip hits that Sandy water.... Honest to God I sit here and tell you at Seal Beach ( hurricane In Baja 80) 15-18 foot shorebreak the lifeguard stopped me and asked " You do this before!?" Yeah ! Get In get down and out the backside! " Alright" First wave..15' bodysurfing just on my way down THIS HUGE BACKWASH DISLODGED ME! next thing I know I'm 12 feet in the air flapping my arms like a seagull then this huge barrel lip me mid back drives me into the sand... Honest to God I did a summersault underneath ground level! Then the wave spits me up onto the beach with both my heels cramped locked up against my buttocks! I'm paralyzed! Excruciating cramps! I'm waving my arms and lifeguard runs down grabs me by arms and pulls me out just before another wave 🌊 broke on my position! It was brutal! Unscathed cept for the cramps! A one wave day! Eric Underwood Class of 81 Downey High school CA ✌️❤️🇺🇸🛐🗽

Would be best to show the waveride at normal speed, and then dissect it. Gives the full power and dynamic of the wave.

I’ve been out at the wedge on a few small day body surfing when it was like 3-5 feet and it still was breaking on basically dry sand where you had to pull out of your ride right at the last second or you would just get destroyed on the ground

the wave behind hits the rocks then bounces off to cause the wedge effect

Thanks ton of laughs!

You are correct, I do not want to surf Wedge

I used to surf The Wedge, I got pummeled so many times.

my friend when i was a teen wanted me to goto the wedge to bodyboard, I was used to HB and didnt have even have fins at the time. I told him no im good i dont wanna die today LOL. Even with fins it would have been a no.

more of these!

I do want to surf the Wedge and I have many friends whom want to join me...we're coming!

Great post mortems here, Brad! Wow!! Best vid I've ever seen of this place, although it's always great to see people make it though haha! I surfed from 1964 until last year and have surfed at some fantastic places around the world, but there are some waves I'd never surf at all, even if I was 50 years younger: Nazarre, Teahupoo, Shipsterns ... AND The Wedge!

great video

Nope, but man you guys got some Cahoonas!!

If you’re a true local it’s just “Wedge”

‘Slab’ lol

Beast

i wanna bodyboard it tho

More waves for me ❤

these guys are riding waves, but more so, they're riding that thin, thin margin between being brave and being friggin nuts XD

What causes the jetty to form waves like that ? I once read it was an engineering fuckup back in the day ??? How does it go from so deep to the A frame section buildup and then literally a closeout with nowhere to go ??? Is it also caused by the beach being downhill ????

wedge is always hangry

at 4:46 you had a chance to show how bodyboarders escape the dirty ol' Wedge.

what about skimboarding in on the side wave?

I'd love to know how often someone gets really hurt here

Gotta be a lot of snapped boards on good-sized days. Are there local shapers who make thicker/ heavier boards to deal with this?

Nice

Looks like a lot a of surfers now, my homie broke his friggin neck here.

Oh yes i want to