A surfer wets their board before paddling out. (Photo by Caleigh Wells)
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Generally the way it works is waves are made by wind, sometimes thousands of miles away. The farther away the wind that makes the waves, the more time the waves have to spread out from each other.
But Rosa is so much closer to California than normal. So, we went to the beach this morning to see what was happening.
It was 9 a.m., but Tony Cheney had been at Surfrider Beach for five hours. His long, blonde hair was clumped together from dried salt water, and he was headed back into the ocean, board in hand. He looked just like you'd expect a surfer would.
"It's a good, fun day. Good hurricane swell, and this is the place to be," he says. "If you can get a big one you're pretty stoked. Surf's up."
Surfboards lean up against a wall near the changing rooms while their owners take a break from the waves. (Photo by Caleigh Wells)
LA County Lifeguard Specialist Pono Barnes said surfers were stoked about more than just the size of the waves coming in.
"Since the generation of the swell is much closer, you're seeing smaller interval between waves, and more consistent surf."
Surfer Christopher Taloa says the waves are like a merry-go-'round that doesn't cost a dime.
"That's kind of what everyone does here: Just wait for the free Disneyland rides."
Several surfers catch waves simultaneously while dozens wait behind them. Rosa brought one good wave right after the next. (Photo by Caleigh Wells)
And that's why at Surfrider, hundreds of black wetsuits dotted the horizon in anticipation for their next ride.
One of those black dots was Ross Bushnell. He wasn't out as early as Cheney because he cleaned up the kitchen before he left for the beach. His hope was that might earn him a few extra points with his wife, so he could stay out until it was time to pick his kids up from school.
"There's a lot of sick days being cashed in today," he says.
To the untrained eye, the beach looks deserted. But the ocean is packed with about a hundred surfers. (Photo by Caleigh Wells)
Like the other surfers there, he explained that Malibu was one of the best spots in LA County to find the projected 6ft swells, which made it really crowded. But on a day like today, even the crowds aren't getting in the way.
"There's just such a mass quantity of waves, everybody's getting plenty. It's an all you can eat buffet out there. It's a lot of fun."
The high surf advisory started Saturday night and peaked Monday morning. But it's in effect until early Tuesday morning.
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