Was anybody really surprised?

For the past six months, we’ve been hearing about the gargantuan El Niño brewing in the Pacific. The forecasts. The predictions. The promises of a fall and winter filled with relentless swell, cranking surf, and all sorts of oceanic mayhem.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s finally here.

Southern California’s fall surf season kicked off with an absolute bang, as back-to-back swells bombarded the coastline. Throw in a few days of howling Santa Ana winds, and suddenly some of the region’s most iconic breaks were firing on all cylinders.

And then there was the Wedge.

As expected, Newport Beach’s infamous mutant shorebreak went completely berserk. Towering walls of water, monstrous closeouts, impossibly steep drops, and the usual cast of lunatics throwing themselves over the ledge. It was beautiful, terrifying, and downright ridiculous. In other words, classic Wedge.

But the madness wasn’t confined to Newport Beach.…