The Wedge ( surfing ) - wikipedia The Wedge ( surfing ) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2017 ) 25 foot Wedge Shaped swell The Wedge The Wedge is a spot located at the extreme east end of the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, California known for its large wedge shaped waves that makes it a popular spot for surfing. During a south or south / southwest swell of the right size and aligned in the swell window, the Wedge can produce huge waves up to 30 feet ( 9.1 m ) high. Play media Wedge Video, shot during Hurricane Marie Contents 1 The waves 2 History 3 Popular culture 4 References 5 External links The waves Body Surfing Large Waves at The Wedge Crowds gather to watch giant waves at the Wedge Newport Beach The waves are a by - product of alterations to the rock jetty on the west side of the Newport Harbor entrance undertaken during the 1930s. When conditions are right, and a wave approaches the shore at the proper angle ( most generally a south swell ), an approaching wave will reflect off the jetty creating a second wave. The reflected wave meets up with the following wave of the set and forms a peak, and this pattern can repeat for several following waves as well. If the reflected and incoming waves align the resulting wave is bigger than either alone due to constructive interference. This occurs very rapidly and forms waves in a very unpredictable and `` unstable '' pattern, so that no two waves are alike and the exact breaking point is difficult to predict even for an experienced surfer. Although this condition primarily occurs with large, south swells, it can also occur, with considerably lesser frequency, during `` normal '' conditions. In addition, the beach at The Wedge is very steeply shaped sand, resulting in what is known as shore break and a very strong backwash which often drags people back into the surf. The backwash itself frequently creates another, outgoing wave, which can hit an incoming wave or surfer with enormous force. With the combined effect of the unpredictability of where the incoming waves will break, and the strength of the backwash, the resulting wave action can be highly unpredictable and therefore both exciting as well as very dangerous. The combination of danger, along with the chance to get pitted ( enclosed in the tube, barrel, or `` pit '' of a wave ), draws many to surf The Wedge. The Wedge breaks largest when intense Southern Hemisphere storms or large tropical cyclones send their long period energy from the SSW direction, primarily during the summer & fall months. History The formation of the surfing spot known as the Wedge was a by - product of alterations to the Newport Harbor, which were completed and re-dedicated on May 23, 1936. Before those renovations and extensions of the West Jetty wall, the Newport Harbor was the premier surfing spot on the entire west coast of North America. However, while the Newport Harbor was popular with surfers, it was also, at time, a tragic place to be for boaters and swimmers, alike, especially during big swells. In 1926, George Rogers Jr., a young 15 - year - old polio victim, drowned in the Newport Harbor as his boat capsized amidst the heavy waves. As a result of polio, George Rogers Jr. was confined to wearing leg braces, and due to the weight of his heavy iron leg braces, his body sank to the bottom of the harbor and was never found. To prevent such a tragedy from happening again to boaters or swimmers, the boy 's father, George Rogers Sr., a successful southern California road builder, was motivated to sell his business and focus his remaining years of life on seeking local and federal funding to alter the Newport Harbor. From 1926 to 1936 George Rogers Sr. campaigned to raise funds. Despite the scarcity of money during the Depression, Rogers Sr., helped raise approximately $2 million in federal aid and local bond funds. A month following the re-dedication of the improved Newport Harbor entrance, George Rogers Sr. suffered a heart attack while on his boat as he entered the harbor entrance. He died at approximately the same location his son died, ten years earlier. In 2014, the documentary, The Wedge : Dynasty, Tragedy, Legacy, aired on PBS SoCaL, recounting these events. Popular culture In the early to mid-1950s The Wedge was known locally as `` 102 Beach, '' where teens held frequent evening beach parties at which Brew 102, a popular ( and inexpensive ) Southern California beer from the Meier Brewing Co. was liberally consumed. Legendary surf music guitarist Dick Dale memorialized the Wedge in an eponymous 1963 instrumental piece, which is included in his Greatest Hits. The Wedge also makes an appearance in Bruce Brown 's The Endless Summer. Pop punk band All Time Low also mentions the Wedge in their song `` Let It Roll '' from their 2007 album, `` So Wrong, It 's Right ''. Balboa is mentioned in the opening song to seminal surfing movie `` Beach Party '' ( 1963 ). References Jump up ^ Duane, Daniel ( August 2004 ). `` The Lip Comes Down '' Archived 2010 - 09 - 19 at the Wayback Machine., Outside magazine, part 2. Jump up ^ Weikel, Dan ( September 30, 2002 ). `` Time Is Wiping Out Wedge Surf Purists '', Los Angeles Times. ^ Jump up to : `` Local Focus : Newport 's Famous `` Wedge '' Subject of PBS Documentary ``. newportbeachindy.com. May 20, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Film on PBS explores how Newport 's Wedge surf break came to be ''. ocregister.com. May 19, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Man with links to Wedge tragedies pays tribute ''. May 20, 2014. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Wedge, Newport Beach, California. Balboa Peninsula on Google Maps The Wedge : Dynasty, Tragedy, Legacy ( Full Video : 25 : 36 ) THE THRILL - SEEKING BODYSURFERS OF CALIFORNIA 'S MOST TERRIFYING WAVE Coordinates : 33 ° 35 ′ 33 '' N 117 ° 52 ′ 56 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 33.59250 ° N 117.88222 ° W ﻿ / 33.59250 ; - 117.88222 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Wedge_(surfing)&oldid=862476298 '' Categories : Surfing locations in California Geography of Orange County, California Balboa Peninsula Big wave surfing Beaches of Orange County, California Beaches of Southern California Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from June 2018 Articles with permanently dead external links Articles needing additional references from January 2017 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017 Coordinates on Wikidata Articles containing video clips Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Edit links This page was last edited on 4 October 2018, at 16 : 37 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: where is the wedge in newport beach located
Answer: at the extreme east end of the Balboa Peninsula