Surfers Catching Big Waves Days After Storm

The skies are clear but the so-called Pineapple Express storm is still whipping up high surf.

Rincon is the place to be days after a massive storm barreled through the coast.

Surfer Cody Watten drove hours just to ride the waves at Rincon on Friday and Saturday.

“We’ve surfed twice already. I can’t feel my arms because we chased the storm all the way from Long Beach up to here. It’s pumping out there. It’s huge.

Watten was among hundreds of big wave chasers and locals who came to the famed surf spot to catch waves as high as 15 feet.

12-year-old Quinn Kauffman of Santa Barbara said, “It’s really big and pumping everyday since Thursday,”

13-year-old Alanna Moore of Carpinteria said it gets even more competitive when the surf is big.

“There are not many girls out. I’m the only girl surfing out there sometimes. It’s hard to get waves but I try,” Moore said.

Surfers told KEYT/KCOY/KKFX on Friday, the day after the storm, the surf was at its peak and fewer surfers were out.

“There was nobody out. It was really big. It was scary,” Moore said.

“It was about 10 to 15 foot. It was going off. I broke my leash and had to swim all the way in. My board went into the rocks,” Watten said.

Beachgoers are usually advised to stay out of the water after heavy rainfall because of the risk of getting sick from the rain runoff.

But, some of the surfers said they’ll take their chances.

“My friends are saying dude you shouldn’t go in. You’re gonna get an ear infection. I was like I don’t care, it’s good,” said 13-year-old Brian Seaman of Newport Beach.

“The water is a little murky today. It’s a little brown. You don’t want to swallow water when you wipe out,” said Joshua Pomer of Santa Barbara.

The high surf advisory ends Sunday.