Tropical Storm Marie Spins Off Swell Images

Tropical Storm Marie Spins Off Swell Images

In the wake of Tropical Storm Marie, which is currently off the coast of Baja California and stretches more than 100 miles, many are feeling its negative effects. But one community has found immense pleasure in the force of Mother Nature's winds and waves. Many surfers in the Malibu area and other parts of Southern California flocked to the seaside to ride waves that reached 15 to 20 feet, presenting once-in-a-lifetime, extremely risky sporting conditions.

Over the last few hours, amazing footage has been uploaded to various social media sites, including video of 50-year-old surfing legend Laird Hamilton. His reputation as a master of big-wave surfing remains untarnished as he puts on a show of death-defying action. And that's putting it lightly. But Hamilton's surfing isn't the only thing that will keep you in awe. Aerial footage of the surfers and the shoreline taken from cameras attached to quadcopters is astounding, shot from a distance that offers a refreshing perspective.

If you want to get closer to the action without stepping into the water, a lot of other user-generated content has also been posted to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, the latter with the hashtag #hurricanemarie, containing personal images and video that say it all.