Surf's up! Monster waves hit Calif.

AP Photo/Orange County Register, Mark Rightmire

Surfers and body boarders look on as a large wave rolls ashore at the Wedge in Newport Beach, Calif. on Sept. 1, 2011. Huge waves are pounding the California coastline, the remnants of a powerful storm in New Zealand, 11,000 miles away.

The dangerous surf conditions can mean only one thing: Surf's up!

A large wave crashes behind a surfer at the Wedge in Newport Beach, Calif. Sept. 1, 2011. The National Weather Service said waves of 8 to 11 feet or more could hit beaches from San Luis Obispo to San Diego counties through the weekend.

It's a surfer's dream from San Francisco down to San Diego. Surfing champion Kelly Slater, right, rids a wave with another surfer near the Malibu Pier, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011, in Malibu, Calif.

A surfer rides the face of a large wave at the Wedge in Newport Beach, Calif., Friday, Sept. 2, 2011, as a large swell hits the Orange County beaches.

High waves measuring up to 20 feet pound the beach at The Wedge on September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California.

A surfer flies through the air after jumping off his board while riding the waves at the Wedge in Newport Beach, Calif., Friday, Sept. 2, 2011, as a large swell hits the Orange County beaches. According to the National Weather Service, a high surf advisory issued earlier in the week was extended for the county through 9 p.m. Sunday.

Lifeguards on the right foreground keep a lookout over body surfers, as hundreds of spectators watch the high waves with breakers measuring up to 20 feet pounding the beach at The Wedge, September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, Calif.

Waves break near beach homes, Sept. 1, 2011, in Malibu, Calif. Authorities warned swimmers and surfers to be careful because of high waves and strong rip currents that hit Central and Southern California.

High waves in Newport Beach, California, September 1, 2011.

High waves measuring up to 20 feet pound the beach at The Wedge on September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California.

A surfers rides a wave as a lifeguard boat sits in the background near the Malibu Pier, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011, in Malibu, Calif.

Hundreds of spectators look at the high waves, as breakers measuring up to 20 feet pound the beach at The Wedge, September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California.

A body surfer rides a high wave at the Wedge on September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California.

A surfer rides a high wave at The Wedge on September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California.

Spectators watch as a surfer catches a big wave in Newport Beach, Calif., Sept. 1, 2011.

A body border rides a high wave at The Wedge on September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California.

A body surfer rides a high wave at the Wedge on September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California.

A body boarder rides the waves at the Wedge in Newport Beach, Calif., Friday, Sept. 2, 2011, as a large swell hits the Orange County beaches.

A body surfer rides a high wave at the Wedge on September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California.

A surfer cuts back on a wave Friday, Sept. 2, 2011 at Malibu Beach in Malibu, Calif.

A body surfer rides a high wave at the Wedge on September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California.

A surfer rides a high wave at The Wedge on September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California.

A surfer falls after riding a high wave at The Wedge on September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California.

A surfer rides a high wave at The Wedge on September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California.

A body surfer makes it back to dry land under the supervision of lifeguards, as high waves measuring up to 20 feet pounded the beach at the Wedge on September 1, 2011 in Newport Beach, California. A body-boarder who went missing along a Southern California beach on Wednesday may have been caught in a rip.

AP Photo/The Ventura County Star, Stephen Osman

Not all the drama was offshore. On Thursday Ventura County firefighters Anne Merino, left, and Paul Barrera, right, worked to secure a rope attached to the stern section of a wrecked smuggling boat, in Point Mugu, Calif. The powerful surf probably forced the boat to crash onto the beach, where more than 500 pounds of marijuana washed ashore, authorities said.