Hurricane Genevieve, off the West Coast of Mexico, is sending powerful waves to Southern California. Surfing buddies Travis Scarbrough and Ryan Ybarra took advantage of the conditions at Ocean Beach Wednesday morning, both of them shooting the Ocean Beach Pier. It’s a maneuver where a surfer rides a wave under a pier between the pylons. It’s also against San Diego’s municipal code, and Ybarra, a retired San Diego firefighter, admitted it’s dangerous.”Yeah, don’t do it. Tell everyone not to do it,” Ybarra said.It’s even more dangerous because of the swell from Hurricane Genevieve. Wednesday, San Diego Lifeguard Chief James Gartland told KPBS Midday Edition that south-facing beaches like Windansea and Black’s are seeing the most powerful swells.He said that’s putting more pressure on San Diego’s lifeguards.”Windansea, for example, they made 107 rescues on Saturday last week,” Chief Gartland said.Meteorologist Alex Tardy from Weatherecho.com warned that surf could be very high.”What we’re looking at is 5-7 feet of surf, maybe even 8-9 feet,” Tardy said.Not only are the waves big, Tardy said, but the coming heatwave could set records for all of the Southwestern U.S..”We’re talking maybe 115 in our deserts. Perhaps even 120 — hitting 120 in Palm Springs,” Tardy said.
Surfer Travis Scarbrough surfs near the Ocean Beach pier on July 7, 2026, San Diego, Calif.
Surfer Travis Scarbrough surfs under the Ocean Beach pier, a dangerous and illegal maneuver called “shooting the pier” where a surfer rides a wave in between the pylons, and under a pier on July 7, 2026, San Diego, Calif.
Gartland said the heat could draw large crowds to San Diego’s beaches this coming weekend, and gave advice for people to stay safe.”Swim at a beach with a lifeguard. Swim in a designated swimming area. And when you get to the beach, ask the lifeguard where is a good safe place to swim and where you should go,” Gartland said.Back at Ocean Beach, Ybarra said he’s been surfing the Ocean Beach break since he could walk, and he warned new surfers to move further north.”Hey man, you’re going to become a statistic; it’s pretty gnarly out here,” Ybarra said.
