Surf City

March 12, 2008

031208

Provided by: Freddi Gold
Summary authors & editors: Freddi Gold, Jim Foster 

The photo above shows surfer Danny Sullivan testing the impressive waves at Huntington Beach, California. Huntington Beach is known as Surf City, U.S.A. Here Dan is making the drop on a nice left. On this autumn day, the waves were 6 to 10 feet (2 - 3 m) high, and the water temperatures between about 58 to 62 degrees F (14 - 16 C). The waves coming ashore at Huntington Beach are somewhat bigger and more reliable in comparison to waves at many other sandy beaches. The configuration and geometry of the shore, wind speed and duration as well as fetch (distance over which the wind blows) are the primary factors governing the size of waves. Photo taken approximately 800 - 1,000 yards (732 - 914 m) offshore in October 1997.