Big waves, high tides batter OC beaches (video)

Body surfers watch from distance as large wave crashes onshore at the Wedge in Newport Beach, as big swell from the southern hemisphere moves on to OC beaches (Mark Rightmire/SCNG).

OC: The rich City of Newport Beach's marina July, 2014 (D. Ramey Logan/Wiki)

OC: San Clemente pier, CA (D. Ramey Logan)

"The ocean begins with OC," according to Wisdom Quarterly. That should be the county's new PR slogan. With rising sea levels and too much infrastructure by the sand, trouble is brewing. Might Disneyland sink under the growing waves?

What'll Mickey do with the saltwater, make taffy?

An Orange County Register photographer flew a drone Thursday evening along parts of Orange County’s coastline when high tide combined with a big summer swell [and a waxing moon] to send waves pounding onshore. It shows just how close the ocean’s reach is to homes, infrastructure, and how a raging sea eats away at some beaches that have already thinned. See: Drone images show impact when high tides and big waves combine. More: VIDEO: Big waves, high tides batter beaches and homes in the OC (ocregister.com)