Huge waves lure bodysurfers, crowds to Newport Beach

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Mother Nature has been slamming Southern California since Sunday, particularly south-facing beaches. The highest surf was expected Monday, with some sets up to 15 feet along beaches in Orange County and 10 feet at Malibu and Zuma in Los Angeles County, the National Weather Service said.

Lifeguards pulled 17 people out of the wild waters over the weekend in Newport Beach, home of The Wedge, a famous surfing spot. Consistent sets of 12- to 15-foot waves were reported.

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Hundreds of spectators lined the beach and gasped, cheered and clapped on Monday as bodysurfers braved the powerful waves.

"The crowd definitely cheers everyone on, and so everybody is trying to get their best wave and a big wave because you don't want to mess up in front of this many people," said Jordan Collins of Carlsbad.

Newport Beach lifeguards are patrolling up and down the coast. Along with the high surf, strong rip currents are making conditions difficult and dangerous, even for those with experience.

"It's kinda impossible to fully understand or explain, but yeah stay away, it's way more powerful than you could imagine," said Charlie Wiggs of Newport Beach.

Further up the coast, big waves caused minor flooding Sunday night along beachfront homes in low-lying Seal Beach, but no property damage was reported. Crews spent Monday morning building up a berm to protect homes in anticipation of Monday night's high tide.

The high surf advisory remains in effect until 11 p.m. Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.