I hung out at the “wedge” sneaker wave city
You really have to pick your waves at the Wedge. I remember hanging back beyond the surf line, waiting for a wave that wasn’t a wall. When the waves crashed, it felt like an earthquake.
I read that John Wayne injured his shoulder bodysurfing the Wedge which led to his losing his football scholarship at USC which lead to his acting career going from part time to full time.
I learned to bodysurf in Newport Beach when I was 11 years old. We were renting a place on the beach during the summer. There was a storm off Baja and the waves were ten feet high. The Wedge, however, was a whole new ballgame for me.