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Wedge erosion exposes old metal pipes, boulders — and worry for the iconic surf spot

August 21, 2026

As if the Wedge isn’t dangerous enough.

The gravity-defying wave in Newport Beach is known to break bones and bodies, a monstrous wave that pitches riders down fast, steep drops and onto shallow sand. When the summer swells hit, the iconic big-wave break turns into an arena with spectators lining the sand to watch in awe.

But the beach has taken a hit from back-to-back-to-back swells this summer, each chomping away at the sand and exposing decades-old infrastructure dating back to the 1930s — metal bars now stick out, threatening to impale a surfer in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is old electrical wire exposed and rocks that have already caused a few bloodied injuries.

Yellow caution tape lines the beach just north of the Newport Harbor entrance to keep people from falling off steep sand cliffs that have formed with the severe erosion, so bad that the ocean at higher tides creeps dangerously close to a cement walkway just recently put in for ADA access.

Old pipes are among the city infrastructure that are being exposed by erosion at The Wedge in Newport Beach on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Old pipes are among the city infrastructure that are being exposed by erosion at The Wedge in Newport Beach on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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The City Council on Tuesday, Aug. 25, is set to decide on holding a study session to discuss recent sand displacement and coastal erosion at the Wedge, and to seek potential solutions to restore conditions as soon as possible.

Councilmember Erik Weigand asked that the item be placed on the agenda, and while the vote to move forward will not include a discussion or debate on Tuesday, it will set in motion an attempt to find solutions to repair the area.

Weigand compared the newly exposed rock to the shape of a fishing hook, the long jetty that extends out to the ocean, and now rocks visible horizontally to the beach toward the surf break next to Wedge known as Cylinders. That area was built as part of a rail line in the ’30s that transported the rocks to build the jetty, but has been buried under sand since.

City crews have been out removing rocks and debris, but “it’s a losing battle. The next swell: more rocks come out,” Weigand said. “A couple of guys have face planted, with bloody faces — we don’t want that.”

Experts say hard armouring — such as placing big boulders on the beach — can worsen erosion because it changes the way the waves hit the shoreline. Instead of waves easing up a sandy slope, the wave pounds on the hard structure and pulls sand away, making it more challenging for the beach to naturally restore itself.

And, the less sand, the closer the ocean gets to the homes and the new ADA concrete pathway, Weigand noted.

Weigand, also a board member of Orange County Water District, said he is hopeful sand in Anaheim could be a solution, but the cost of transport and its quality is unknown. Another source of sand sits in Prado Dam ready for removal, but permitting and a short window from September to November to remove the sediment are challenges.

Maybe, sand could be scooped out of the harbor entrance mouth and brought over. Those are all ideas to be explored if the council votes to move forward with discussions.

Another hope is that big El Niño winter storms that are forecasted could help push sand back, once winter swells from the northwest direction shift sand back to the Wedge.

Sand movement and loss could impact the wave quality in the future, and negatively impact one of the world’s most iconic surf breaks, Weigand worries.

A big swell at the Wedge in Newport Beach makes for wild surfing conditions on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The surf break was born when the jetty was extended in 1936, causing waves to refract off the hard structure and “wedge” up with incoming waves, jacking up their size.

For decades, it has been known as a unique place that draws bodysurfers, bodyboarders, surfers and thousands of spectators each year.

“The Wedge is legendary,” Weigand said. “This is a story that paints Newport Beach; it has a lure. It’s been in the ‘Endless Summer,’ books and movies. This is a big deal for many people around Newport, the area and globally — we need to protect it and make sure it’s there for a long time.”

Longtime Wedge bodysurfer Kevin “Mel” Thoman, who has been riding waves at the iconic spot for more than 50 years, said the erosion issue is as bad as he’s ever seen it. He said it was the big swell in March, called the earliest seasonal south swell in recent memory, that set the sand loss in motion.

“If we’re lucky enough to get a real El Niño winter, where we have a lot of wind, rain and northwest swells, we’ll get a natural build back up, but I don’t think it will ever get back to what we are used to,” he said. “It’s bad, it’s really bad.”

The lifeguard tower has been set back farther than he’s ever seen, he added, and the ice plant that covered the ground has been ruined by the salt-water intrusion.

“Things are definitely not normal,” he said.

On the beach, crowds will have to stand farther back and there is less sand space to watch the action.

“Everything has changed, in a big way,” Thoman said.

And if the water reaches the nearby multi-million dollar homes, “there’s going to be a huge uproar,” he said.

Through the decades, the Wedge Crew would gather in “the pit,” an area of sand at the base of the rock jetty that’s now disappeared, he said. “There’s no area; it’s all gone.”

The wave has changed in a way that skimboarders who used to glide into the side wave that bounced off the jetty have stopped showing up.

On a recent day with light crowds and small waves, bodysurfers Jason Winicki and Johnny Lizarraga made the trek from the Pasadena area to enjoy the place they’ve been visiting since high school to get a thrill.

“I’m always scared out of my wits anyhow; the fear doesn’t go away,” Lizarraga said. “That part of the adrenaline has not changed, maybe that’s what keeps us coming – there’s a little ‘what if’ factor. That’s the drive for us.”

The metal sticking out of the sand, the wires and added rocks along the shore didn’t make a difference on the day they visited, with tide levels low and little swell in the water.

“It’s a gnarly, dangerous place to begin with – adding another factor, metal poles or sharks or anything like that,” Lizarraga said, “it doesn’t make it any worse once you’re out there and the waves are big; you’re already in the danger zone.”

Newport Beach surfer Obie Scott hopes something can be done to restore the shoreline and keep the surf break as it has been for decades.

“This is one of the most famous spots on the planet,” he said. “It would be a shame to lose that. It has a lot of history.”

Wedge erosion exposes old metal pipes, boulders — and worry for the iconic surf spot Orange County Register

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Wedge erosion exposes old metal pipes, boulders — and worry for the iconic surf spot

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