Photo Gallery: Swell of the Decade Slams California
Ryan Craig
·3 min read
It’s safe to say that 2023 ended with a bang as multiple swells slammed into California. The El Niño hype was further reinforced by massive buoy readings and pouring rain throughout the state. Many typical spots were overloaded on the biggest days while novelty spots shined. Non-surfers flocked to the beach to witness the energy while surfers packed their cars and chased the swell up and down the coast. It seemed like every town had moments if you knew where to look.
Here's a quick photographic recap of one of the most swell-laden weeks of the year:
West swells equal really "slabby" conditions out at Mavericks. Our Christmas swell wasn’t necessarily all that huge but the angle and period made for a dynamic couple days and lots of empty waves.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
In between days of rain and wind, the Eastside of Santa Cruz had its moments. Pictured here is Jackson Taylor, tucking into a little tube just after sunrise.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Central California normally gets a break from the relentless NW winds in the wintertime months–which is your best bet to score all the novelty spots along the coast. Dane Anderson is in-tune with the changing conditions.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Alessandro Slebir is leading the next pack of Santa Cruz surfers that shine out at Mavericks. Alo’s out there for every swell and on this particular day, he was whipping it on almost every set.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
After nonstop waves for days on end, there were a few mornings of super uncrowded surf at the Lane. The tide was a little high but with an increasing swell there was lots of waves for everyone.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Ryan Augenstein is high on the list of surfers who've spent the most hours riding Mavericks and his ability out there is only getting better.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
A couple of us drove down to San Diego (from Santa Cruz) to escape the winter weather. We were greeted by huge A-frames right at sunrise at Blacks Beach.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Late afternoon light mixed with a heavy-footed Crosby Colapinto is a great pairing for photography.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Tosh Tudor didn’t have to travel too far from his house to get some of the better tubes in California on this last swell.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
From sun-up to sun-down, waves at this reef went mostly unridden–although lots of surfers gave it a heroic go.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Weaving his way through a near-dark barrel, Kyle Buthman nabbed one of the best tubes of the entire swell.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Even at breaks where the crowds are thick, there’s always a few empty waves that go unridden.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Morning tubes for Owen Miller in Southern California.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
A long wall made for a great canvas for Kevin Meza to practice his rail game.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
An unidentified surfer, hanging on by his toes.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
The New Year's Eve swells were massive and the Pacific Ocean was a treat to watch. Here’s another beachbreak doing its best Puerto Escondido impression.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Fresh off his surgery and back in rhythm, Griffin Colapinto scored this swell.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
One of the heaviest reefs in California, as seen from a drone. On the right set it looked as close to a wave at Teahupo’o as I’ve seen before.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
The type of days you dream about when you’re a surfer.
Ryan "Chachi" Craig
Kobe Hughes, chipping in to one more beautiful wave before sunset.
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