Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT has a new hobby: surfing. “There’s this strange part of my brain that’s been dreaming about surfing for a long time,” he recently told the San Francisco Examiner. He finally got his chance when the Brooklyn duo holed up in a Malibu studio earlier this year to record Congratulations, the follow-up to their breakout debut, Oracular Spectacular, with Spacemen 3 alumnus Peter Kember handling production duties. VanWyngarden hinted at a darker vibe this time around. “It’s us trying to deal with all the craziness that’s been going on since our last album took off,” he says of the title track.

story via prefixmag.com

The Orange County coroner’s office has identified the man as 50-year-old Monte Kevin Valantin of Lawndale.

A body surfer has died after being thrown against the rocks at the Wedge in Newport Beach in 20-foot waves.

The body surfer, whose name was not released, was taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital about noon in grave condition, said Jennifer Schulz, a spokeswoman for the Newport Beach Fire Department.

The Wedge is a popular body boarding, surfing and body surfing beach at the south end of the Balboa Peninsula.

A high-surf warning has been in effect for Southern California with waves possibly reaching as high as 8 feet in south-facing beaches. Area lifeguards are warning beachgoers to exercise caution this weekend.

“The high surf is our No. 1 concern,” said county lifeguard Capt. Terry Harvey. “We’re advising all beachgoers to talk to lifeguards to find out where that safe place is to swim.”

Harvey said the result of large surf and an uneven bottom in the water will lead to dangerous rip currents, and conditions are expected to run through the weekend and into next week.

Rescuers have already dealt with a magnitude of distressed swimmers and surfers in the water today, Harvey said.

He said there would be additional Baywatch patrol on beaches to ensure safety.

“We do everything we can,” Harvey said. “We are prepared for a busy weekend.”

The Wedge is considered a mecca for body surfing, but is also known for its potential dangers.

Wedge veterans have left the beach with concussions, fractured vertebrae and broken bones. The waves ricochet off the rocky jetty at the tip of Balboa Peninsula, smashing together in white-frosted peaks that can tower 20 feet.

The Wedge can chew up novices, flinging them onto the hard berm of sand or sucking them back into the churning surf.

story from LA times

Coastguards said they had been ‘boogie-boarding’ off Newquay’s Fistral Beach without wetsuits just after 6pm, when the lifeguards who patrol the area leave for the day.

Other people on the beach noticed the 51-year-old man and the boy, who is believed to be his son, were in difficulties and went into the water to try to save them.
Falmouth Coastguard received a 999 call at 7pm and a lifeboat, helicopter and coastal rescue team were all sent to the scene.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said when they arrived: “As Newquay Coastguard rescue team arrived on scene at Fistral Beach, the man was receiving CPR and the child was semi-conscious.

“The Coastguard team members continued administering CPR until the paramedics arrived. The rescue helicopter landed at Fistral beach and evacuated the man and child with paramedics and a policeman direct to the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Treliske.

“It is believed that they were boogie boarding, wet suits were not being worn and the surf height was six feet.”

Devon and Cornwall Police said the boy was suffering from “exposure and shock”, but was otherwise unhurt.

The MCA spokesman advised surfers to wear wetsuits even in sunny conditions.

“People get a false sense of security if there is a bit of sunshine. Wetsuits are helpful to keep you warm,” he said.

“If there was six-foot high surf, there will have been quite a bit of wind blowing. Most surfers, you see them in wetsuits and that does give them a bit of protection from the conditions.”

The lifeguards on the beach work from 10am to 6pm.

“We’d always recommend to anybody thinking of undertaking any waterborne activities to go where there are lifeguards, to do it when there are lifeguards there and to wear appropriate protection,” the MCA spokesman added.

“Basically people should conduct their own risk assessment: what’s the risk if the weather is cold if you’re not wearing the right clothing?”

original story  telegraph.co.uk