Return to body surfing

In case anyone missed the symbolism of May 1 at The Wedge, Mel Thoman brought the real symbol, just in case.

“I got it at a swap meet years ago,” Thoman said, proudly unrolling a lifeguard’s Black Ball flag — square yellow cloth with a big black circle in the middle.

The flag stood tall, frayed at the edges and worn thin, much like the men out to celebrate its unraveling Thursday.

With the beginning of May comes the beginning of body surfing season at The Wedge. For the next six months, through Oct. 31, no surf boards, body boards, skim boards or any other kind of flotation devices are allowed in the water from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The men who made that happen, now 16 years older, were at The Wedge Thursday to enjoy their “body surfing preserve.”

“The waves were not great. But I did get one good wave and it felt great,” said 48-year-old Terry Wade, a body surfing icon who hadn’t been in the water for 10 years.

“I was thinking, ‘Am I going to forget how to body surf?’ For me, it was like riding a bicycle.”

Wade was one of The Wedge Crew, later known as The Wedge Preservation Society, that convinced the Newport Beach City Council to blackball the famous wave spot for body surfers in 1993.

Now the group has all the signs of aging — marriage, kids, responsibility. But the passion for body surfing and loyalty to The Wedge endures.

“It’s just the way the wave forms. It’s easier to catch a wave. If it were more of a different break, you’d have to swim more,” said Marty Henke, a fellow body surfer. The Wedge’s waves, tall and fast-forming, are ideal for body surfing, the “pure” way to ride a wave, he said.

“The Wedge is kind of a unique wave. It’s one of those that has so much power where you can body surf dramatically on it,” said Bill Sharp, director of the Billabong XXL Big Wave contest. “The problem is it’s such a unique resource everyone wants it.”

Wade has missed that resource for 10 years. Ironically, it was him paying dues for the sport he loves that kept him away for so long.

He broke his back body surfing, and developed skin cancer years ago.

Now recovered from both, the older, beat-up legend is returning to ride again under the yellow-and-black flag.

“I planned going out there for 10 minutes to say I had gone back in. I was out there for almost two hours,” Wade said. “I’m praying this is a huge summer and I’ll ride 30-foot waves again.”

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].