Surf's up in Orange County and Los Angeles

Laylan Connelly (OCRegister.com); Pat Macpherson, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Fat Happy Budai surfs in Japanese painting by Nathan Winsor (pixels.com)

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As a big swell from the southern hemisphere arrived along the Southern California coast Wednesday, the world-famous Wedge started putting on another one of its big surf shows.

• PHOTOS: Big waves at wild Wedge in OC (ocregister.com)

Saltwater Buddha: The Film

(SWB Films) Fed up with teenage life in the suburbs, Jaimal Yogis ran off to Hawaii with little more than a copy of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha and enough cash for a surfboard. Now an author and father, Yogis recounts his journey from jungle communes to Zen monasteries, from the warm Pacific to the icy New York shore. Based on the internationally-acclaimed memoir, this is a chronicle of finding focus in the barrel of a wave and truth in the great salty blue. More info. at saltwaterbuddha.org. For the book, go to jaimalyogis.com.

PHOTOS: A big swell started to show on Wednesday, Aug. 18, bringing beefy waves to the Wedge in Newport Beach (photo courtesy of Diane Edmonds).

In Huntington Beach, surfers on Thursday were taking advantage of the action north of the pier. A big swell started to show on Wednesday, Aug. 18, bringing waves to the Wedge in Newport Beach (photo courtesy of Diane Edmonds).

The expert-only Wedge saw a handful of wave riders who braved the 10-foot plus surf, with a high tide pushing ocean water up the sand to the surprise of spectators who scrambled to safety as the sets raced onto the shore.

The swell, one of the biggest so far this summer, also sent salt water into parking lots at Aliso Beach in South Laguna and Capistrano Beach in Dana Point. Be sure to stay off rock jetties and tide pools, as the strong surf and high tide can send waves sweeping over them and can knock people off the structures. The wild Wedge is known to creep up on unsuspecting beachgoers (photo courtesy of Christy Thomas).

Fat Buddhist monk Budai on surfboard, tropical radiant moment (pixels.com)

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The Wedge is a world-famous, unique surf spot that unintentionally spawns from a rock jetty built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1936 as part of the Newport Harbor entrance. Swells from the southern hemisphere that roll into that section of beach bounce off the jetty and refract into another wave, creating a “wedge” that can double wave in size. It draws a mix of bodysurfers who get the break to themselves during the summer “blackball” period from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, while a mix of surfers, bodyboarders, and skimboarders battle for waves when the restrictions lift.

Ed Smith captured a fun video showing some of the wild rides Wednesday as the swell started building: The surf is still strong Thursday, with waves at south-facing beaches expected to be in the 6-foot to 8-foot range, so use extreme caution and know your abilities before entering the water. The surf will remain large through Friday before slightly dropping – though still strong enough to be dangerous – through the weekend, according to Surfline.com. More + PHOTOS

What must the dolphins think as the tide rises?