Koa Smith: ‘This Is the Best Wedge I’ve Ever Seen’

The Wedge hosted an unofficial opening day last week when the West Coast saw its first true south swell of the new season. It’s not like the Wedge was completely dormant for months but the swell that brought waves to the rest of California also brought the first bit of circus-like action to Newport Beach and Koa Smith happened to be in town to witness it.

Smith, of course, spends most of his time at home on the North Shore. And it’s no secret the power and energy of most California spots can’t match your average North Shore wave — at least not the power a Pipeline regular is accustomed to.

“The Wedge is one of the most entertaining waves in the world to watch due to how unruly and weird it is,” he says. “Back washes, side washes, super close to the beach — also, the crowd that it attracts is like, kind of circus-y. There (are) people who just show up and have no idea what the Wedge is and I just think it sets us up for some really good entertainment.”

Smith nabbed more than one session during his time in Newport and while it wasn’t the biggest or gnarliest swell to sneak into that unique nook on the Balboa peninsula, he did declare, “this is the best Wedge I’ve ever seen.”

“So wild,” he explains while paddling out the back. “We’re pretty far out here and there’s like these potential side waves coming in from way out (that allow you to chip) in behind the main peak. I’ve never seen it do this before.”

He wasn’t alone in hailing the April 17 session as a standout day. Filmmaker Brad Jacobson made the drive from Los Angeles to Orange County that same morning and witnessed “some of the best rides (he’d) ever seen at the Wedge.”

“It was quite a sight to behold and definitely made the weaving in and out of Southern California gridlock on the way to Newport worth it,” Jacobson says.

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