Large surf at the Oceanside Pier

This week, we were forecast to have 10-15 ft swells coming in from the North. I stopped by the Oceanside Pier Thursday morning, expecting to see either epic surf or the pier being washed out. Turns out, the pier is pretty sturdy and it would probably take 20+ ft waves to damage it. From the pier, I had a great vantage point on the waves and surfers. Every couple of minutes, a set of three or four ~10 ft waves would come in. The surfers would all make an attempt to catch them and oohs and ahhs would erupt from the small crowd on the pier watching.



I went back Friday morning and the surf was a bit smaller, but still nicely formed with the santa ana winds blowing off the beach. They were still big enough for surfers to get a bit of air coming off them.



The pier provides an interesting view point, where the surfers are going past. It allows for different angles than you can get from the beach or a breakwater.



I've been wanting a nice classic tube shot that I could crop and use. I got one that I'm pretty happy with - it's at the bottom of the page. More photos at:
http://underpressurephoto.com/Beaches/Large-Surf-Oceanside-Pier/

Scott