Professional surfers travel to Europe to tackle 'Herculean' waves

If you traveled to Europe thinking you might escape the ridiculous weather that's frozen folks across the US, including those of us here in the deep freeze, er - deep South, you've got another thing coming.

Wild weather also wreaked havoc on European coastlines, and that's exactly what drew some adventurer travelers that way.

On Wednesday, Grind TV posted dramatic pictures of what it accurately described as "Herculean waves pounding Europe."

The potential of the waves caught the attention of professional surfers like Jamie Mitchell and Shane Dorian. According to Grind, they monitored the weather for days before making plans to travel from their winter homes in Hawaii to Europe in search of catching the waves of a lifetime.

Mitchell and Dorian zeroed in on Belharra, a reef and renowned surf spot located off southwest France.

Mitchell, Dorian, and the others surfers who traveled to Belharra found optimal conditions Wednesday. However, it appears the storm may have peaked prior to their arrival, with the biggest waves mocking surfers on Monday or Tuesday.

That doesn't mean Wednesdays waves were anything to scoff at.

"This is the most intense storm I can remember seeing in my 20 years of tracking these things," said Bill Sharp, event director of surfing's prestigious Billabong XXL. "There was an area bigger than Spain on the Atlantic Ocean with sustained winds of 50 knots. That's just massive."

For the surfers, let the chasing of the biggest, most Herculean waves continue. But for the rest of us, let the crazy, extreme winter weather cease. I, for one, would like my mild southern winter back. Please.