What Do Koa Smith And The Battle Of Los Angeles Have In Common?

On February 23, 1942 —Two months after Pearl Harbor was leveled—the Japanese bombed Santa Barbara, California.

Specifically, they bombed an oilfield 12 miles north, killing nobody and only inflicting $500 of damage. This little-talked-about micro-attack, understandably, put California on edge.

The very next day, an unidentified flying object was seen over Los Angeles. The U.S. Army fired 1,440 shells at it, air raids sounded all throughout the city, and a strict city-wide blackout was ordered (if you ask some real old-timers around Southern California, they might still have blackout curtains in their attic).

Turns out, it was a “false alarm”. In the end, there were five casualties — three in car crashes and two from heart attacks. It is known today, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, as “The Battle of Los Angeles”.

Now, what does all this have to do with 30-year-old pro surfer-turned-açaí-entrepreneur-turned-YouTuber Koa Smith?

Well, by the time The Battle of Los Angeles happened, Southern California had already been militarizing for a decade. As part of this effort, there were many Army Corp Engineers stationed in the area, with plenty of time and lots of tax dollars at their possible.

So, 90 years ago, in 1936, the Army Corp of Engineers extended the Corona Del Mar Jetty by 900 feet due to a 15-year-old drowning in heavy surf in his fishing boat inside the “safe” harbor mouth.

In doing this, they not only made a safer harbor — they also created the refractional anomaly that is The Wedge.

In the video above, catch Koa Smith score a fun run of waves during the recent Hurricane Genevieve swell. Because of large swell and high tides, there was extreme erosion at the wedge, and Koa and friends uncovered some remnants of the original piers and train tracks that haven’t been seen for nearly 90 years.

Add archaeologist to the list of Koa’s diverse bona fides.