A rare typhoon originating off the coast of Japan turned into a storm that hit San Francisco’s beaches on Thursday, producing monstrous waves along the sleepy Sunset neighborhood’s Ocean Beach.
Waves on the two-mile stretch of beach reached 20 feet around noon, while the big wave surf spot Mavericks in Half Moon Bay reached heights of 35 feet, according to the surf forecasting website Surfline.
Onlookers gazed in wonder as the sea thrust out the massive waves. The northern swell is the second of its kind this year as an El Niño weather forecast promises to bring more tumultuous waters to the region this winter.
Ocean Beach’s waves climbed the highest around Noriega Street, where white water was abundant miles out to sea.
