People are Surfing Under Smoky Orange Skies in San Francisco – KQED

Gabe Meline

A surfer at Ocean Beach in San Francisco under smoke-filled orange skies, on Sept. 9, 2020.  (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

When the Bay Area woke up this morning, the skies were deep orange. Some saw it as a sign of the apocalypse and went back to bed. Others played David Bowie or watched Blade Runner 2049. Just about everyone else took photos.

And then there’s the group of surfers at Ocean Beach who said, “You know what? Let’s hit the waves.”

A surfer heads to Ocean Beach in San Francisco under smoke-filled orange skies, on Sept. 9, 2020.
A surfer heads to Ocean Beach in San Francisco under smoke-filled orange skies, on Sept. 9, 2020. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

KQED photographer Beth LaBerge caught Matt Cowdrey, Mark Paiz and Kyle Ortega in action, surfing under red-orange skies caused by wildfires in Northern California and Oregon.

Surfers head for the the waves of Ocean Beach in San Francisco under smoke-filled orange skies, on Sept. 9, 2020.
Surfers head for the the waves of Ocean Beach in San Francisco under smoke-filled orange skies, on Sept. 9, 2020. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

These photos were taken at noon. It was a day like no other for Ocean Beach, the westernmost part of San Francisco.

A surfer rides the waves of Ocean Beach in San Francisco under smoke-filled orange skies, on Sept. 9, 2020.
A surfer rides the waves of Ocean Beach in San Francisco under smoke-filled orange skies, on Sept. 9, 2020. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

And a day that this group of surfers won’t ever forget.

Surfers head for the the waves of Ocean Beach in San Francisco under smoke-filled orange skies, on Sept. 9, 2020.
Surfers head for the the waves of Ocean Beach in San Francisco under smoke-filled orange skies, on Sept. 9, 2020. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)