Labor Day weekend saw a solid Southern Hemi swell march straight towards Newport Beach’s famed big wave: the Wedge. In our tight-lipped office we heard rumors of Red Bull takeovers and Surfline live streams. Of Bruce Irons, Nathan Fletcher and Jamie O’Brien putting on a show for the Internet world to gasp over. But in the end there was no live stream and no Bruce and Nathan. There was, however, Jamie O’Brien and a band of thrill specialists. O’Brien later said, “It’s an amazing wave, I was blown away. That rebound off the jetty’s hard to read and you’re constantly trying to find the right place to take off, but that’s what’s so great about it. It makes you work for it.” The Pipe Master’s got a point.
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That wave is such a gimmick.
Wedge is a bodysurfing wave, so how about showing some people bodysurfing.
i think its one of the most exciting waves to watch in surfing. it may be a gimmick to actually surf it… but the audiences prove my point.
The Wedge. It’s a 50 meter close out. What more need be said?
Wedge is not a close out.
I’m not sure why bufu thinks the wave is a gimmick? I’ve been there and it’s for real. But I don’t know why the Wedge gets so much attention from surfers? It’s more or less a shore break, with short and steep rides, and as Sliding Sense says,is best suited for body surfers. So board surfers stand back and let the body surfers have a piece!
The Wedge is not a gimmick. It is a phenom. It is also a beautiful stage for spectators to watch surfers, body surfers and spongers ply their trade.
The Wedge can punish and it can bring bliss to those who know. Like hitting that perfect golf shot when your not a good golfer to begin with.
To those who think its a close out – good, stay away.
try body surfing charlie young@ 15 ft face with only 2 locals out! back in da day!
i’ll take Ricon or if you can deal with the crowds then Trestles. Mavericks is awesome, only thing is you gotta be part PENGUIN to deal with the water tempt.
Well done with the pics.
thankd this
Wedge is for Real Body Surfers, Spoon Rider’s, and Body Boarding, only. Some standup is cool to see if they can make the drop. Get a copy of THUMP and see.!!!
The phrase “Gimmick Wave,” in surf lingo (vs. its reference as used in popular culture) is jargon or a term of art. It does not mean the wave is stupid or lacking in merit, and no one who loves the wave should take offense by the use of the term. It refers to a wave that functions best under a tight set of circumstances or is otherwise suited to one particular purpose. The Wedge is, by definition, a gimmick wave, first and foremost because of the unique set of circumstances that allows it to form (best) in southy swells and because of both ocean floor topography (rising fast) with the extended jetty that focuses and rebounds energy back into the peak. It is also a gimmick wave, as everyone else here notes, because of its particular suitability to those watermen (like body / boogie boarders) who can better handle a steep drop and a quickly closing exit door.