Rogue Waves Rough Up Surfing Spectators

Enormous rogue waves swept over a northern California beach today and injured at least 15 people watching a surfing contest. A handful of spectators were taken to the hospital, some with broken bones. They were watching the renowned Mavericks Surf Contest, held only when the world's top surfers think waves will be challenging enough.

"We're here every year and we get rogue waves but nothing like this," one spectator with a likely broken wrist told the San Jose Mercury News. "Nobody was swept away into the water," a local fire official told the AP. "They were just swept onto the beach area pretty hard. It's pretty rocky." (More big-wave surfing stories.)