ocmd vs. vb vs. wb

[zach619]

So, after years of watching data and reading other historical information, the mathematical breakdown of these locations, as far as how many surfable days per year there are... (All weird statistics aside, just the most days of the year that one can surf, regardless of temp etc. Just complete surfable data)

The math says that it goes

VB - #1
OC MD, #2
WB, NC, #3

And obviously OBX and parts of the Jersey shore showed up way ahead as far as the data that I have, but for THOSE THREE locations, is that about the right rankings? As far as most days of available surf? Year round? Im thinking WB probably gets more windswell in the summer, but with OCMD and VB more open to all the E swell angles, they always seem to produce a little more in the winter etc...

Is this right? I dont want to re-open debates or arguments about each region. Im just talking straight surf data.

[phil hudson]

is there a point to this?

[Swellinfo]

well, how did you define a surfable day?

[gettodachoppa]

yeah virginias definately number one because the barges create swell throughout the year

[kc123]

No way is VB more consistent than OCMD.

[Xtreme*Liquidshredda]

ocmd BARRELS a lot better than vb

[xgen70]

One said, "define a surfable day?" ,....I think the data set would have to be more varied, what were the criteria for your analysis? Where was the data gathered from? What types/categories of data did you compile? What variables were considered? Where local conditions and spot/swell magnets/multipliers taken into consideration?

I think your defined spot choices are flawed. In regard to OCMD, yes it tends to be a more focused venue, but for the core locals, the rippers from DE, MD and EVA end up at the same spots/best form and breaks for any given swell. We are blessed with the ability to switch spots with tide changes and winds shifts. You might start the day in South Delaware, move to OC for mid-day to early afternoon and finish off the day with a low tide session at AI.

On average I would say that I think the DelMarVa has got VB beat hands down. I can not speak for WB, <<<warmer currents have got to be a plus 5+ from the start at least. I do not think WB is even in the same grouping, got to be better then us or VB.

[SkegLegs]

Unfortunately for those of us "delawarians" 9 out of
10 times warrants a ride to OC.

[xgen70]

True enough,..I guess I am thinking of it as a quick trip north for me as opposed to another trip south for you.

Either way DelMarVa does have just enough options to expand our session/swell windows.

I stay put most of the time, OC gives the goods on average, but it sure is nice to be able to get in those day before and day after by knowing the setup and what will work and when.

I do not see those options available in VB, is this correct?

[Cerphit]

I have lived in both places and presently in vb. No question, hands down, OC is better and more consistent. OC receive the south swells that miss us and they have barrels. In vb when there's tubes, its still weak.It's a rare day that vb has waves and oc doesn't but more often than not, oc has surf and vb doesn't.

[zach619]

Well, my sources are multiple. Mainly LOLA (Surfline) readings. Not forecats, but actual daily reports. Also, I checked the Seasonal Surf data from magicseaweed.

I basically use the same criteria as them. Over 2-3 feet (surf height, not swell height) in 7 second periods or longer. That, by my hypethetical definition, is a surfable day.

So, while WB faces a compeltely different angle, I guess they are out of the question. And DE was not in the question. I was speaking of OC MD (Inlet to 48th st) area and VB from Sanbridge to 1st street.

Just the two generally populated areas.

So, it sounds like although VB catches some randomly recordable windwswell etc that gets records as 2-3 feet of surf....

But again, I didn't mean, which waves are better, or more powerful....

I mean, a 2-3 foot mush ball and a 2-3 foot barrel are in the same category for this questions.

I just meant, overall, since 2 foot mush IS surfable, and 3 foot barrels are too, but when you add up every day that was waist high or bigger, all year....

My info gave VB a slight advantage, saying that about 22% of the time, there is a ridable windswell wave in VB, where OC MD was about 19%, not much different, but 3% is a big difference... Annually that is. I mean, obviously fall and winter can me in the 25%-40% of the time range, while summer months can be 7%-15%, so average that all up, for the entire year...

I mean, I know OC MD guys always claim hollower surf, while VB always reps the short distance to OBX

But my question was, If you had to surf 1st street in VB, and only there, all year. Or OC MD (48th st), all year, and only there...

What is the outcome? More waves in MD or VA?>

[surfswell]

any day is surfable, and id definitly say ocmd gets more swell than virginia beach.

[DaveyB]

ocmd. vb cant argue any case. let it go.

[zach619]

Wow. Thanks for the info guys. This is just an over all curiousity question. Like I said, I grew up surfing OC MD in the summer/fall my whole life. I have only surfed VB once. I just noticed how on some swells, it looked like VB got some more juice over the years, but every time I have EVER asked anything remotely like this, I get the answer that OC MD has more waves. Period.

Again, just curious, not trying to hurt any feelings in either place.

[bradflora00]

ive surfed both. when oc had good swell... ECSC in VB sucked!

[bradflora00]

also depends if you wanna get barreled of just cruise

[ECsponger]

But my question was, If you had to surf 1st street in VB, and only there, all year. Or OC MD (48th st), all year, and only there...What is the outcome?

I'd rather go to 1st st than 48th st OC

[SkegLegs]

If you were checking station 44014 for vb, you are not getting an accurate read. It sits out far enough that south/southwest wind swell is showing that is completely shadowed by the obx for vb. When there's good solid swell from atlantic low / NEer / Hurricane both places will get swell, for those other 80% of the "surfable" days, they are coming from straight s/sw wind fetch that misses vb completely. That's OC's advantage, it picks up these swells very well.

Even locally Delaware will hardly ever show these swells, it will be knee high at best while OC will be peaking stomach to chest.

[ughVeeBee]

Hypothetically 2-3ft or more with a 7 second period would be great in VB. It is frequently that or better, but the N and NW wind constantly has everything blown out and it is always choppy, especially in the winter months when those conditions would occur with more frequency. I think you need to factor into your results the fact that maybe 20% of the time those conditions occur it is actually surfable. But God do I wish those results reflected reality.

[CSB]

True enough,..I guess I am thinking of it as a quick trip north for me as opposed to another trip south for you.

Either way DelMarVa does have just enough options to expand our session/swell windows.

I stay put most of the time, OC gives the goods on average, but it sure is nice to be able to get in those day before and day after by knowing the setup and what will work and when.

I do not see those options available in VB, is this correct?

VB faces ENE at all spots, so we're sideshore any time the wind is angled NNW and all points east.
You can get different effects at different spots, though. First Street and Croatan have jetties on either side of Rudee Inlet, which cuts down chop if the wind is northerly (Croatan) or southerly (First Street), so the matchup game can be played on a smaller scale. There are a lot of different type of beachbreaks scattered throughout, as well as two piers (15th Street and Little Island in Sandbridge).
Our problem also is that the continental shelf is massive down here. We're tucked the furthest west of the seaboard north of NC, so swells travel over shallower water longer before reaching our sandbars, draining the waves of the power points north and south get...
Every time I've headed north, I've surfed on AI in VA, and it was better than VB was on the same day. So I would say the Delmarva is more consistent. Wouldn't know about WB.

[mitchell]

The math says that it goes

VB - #1
OC MD, #2
WB, NC, #3

And obviously OBX and parts of the Jersey shore showed up way ahead as far as the data that I have, but for THOSE THREE locations, is that about the right rankings? As far as most days of available surf?

No way Zach. OCMD picks up swell more consistently than VB. Thats based on both the oceanography saying it SHOULD pick up more swell and lots of traveling to both spots saying DOES pick up more swell.

VB is analagous to Delaware...tucked back into an embayment of the coast sheltering it from steeply angled local wind swells from both the north and south, and making what swell does come in have to go across more shallow continental shelf draining size.

[xgen70]

"I'd rather go to 1st st than 48th st OC"

Think you better have better info before you try and make a call like that.

Just stay downtown....it seems to be working for you, you most likely can not handle surfing with the big boys, so it is good you know your limitations.

[Swellinfo]

a lot of really small days are rideable at 1st street... but do we really care about 1-2 ft swells that much?

The main flaw is your sources of data... Surfline report's for Ocean City are not good. The camera there is not as good as the camera at 1st street in VA.

[ECsponger]

"I'd rather go to 1st st than 48th st OC"

Think you better have better info before you try and make a call like that.

Just stay downtown....it seems to be working for you, you most likely can not handle surfing with the big boys, so it is good you know your limitations.

Oh no, I have no problem 'surfing with the big boys' that's not a factor. The lame crowds and hotheads are the factor. It was a sarcastic comment and Im assuming you were attempting to do the same, only you came off sounding like an ass.

[n2waves]

I'd pick OCMD over VB anyday. I think its funny when Surfline shows photos of VB when we have good east coast swells but never shows OCMD which is usually much better They always remind me how happy I am to be surfing in OCMD instead of VB.

[zach619]

I'd pick OCMD over VB anyday. I think its funny when Surfline shows photos of VB when we have good east coast swells but never shows OCMD which is usually much better They always remind me how happy I am to be surfing in OCMD instead of VB.

Yeah, I always look for photos from back home from out here, and all they ever show is Jersey Shore, a few shots of VB and OBX all day. I NEVER, ever see oc md, and it always looks cleaner and better. Maybe not better than jersey, but I thought that maybe the OC MD locals are just doing a good job of keeping close wraps on whats going on there. Which would be cool, but i just think they dont ever get the exposure they deserve.

surfingoc.com used to have great local photos from oc md, but they went down years ago...

Its like in SD, I have been surfing tripple overhead sunset cliffs for a week and every newpaper and website ONLY shows shots of the La Jolla cove. Its like, there are 200 shots of every guy who took off at the cove that day, meanwhile we are getting cleaner, bigger sh** down on the cliffs. You NEVER see photos of sunset cliffs anywhere and it freaking goes nuts there everyday in the winter. Its strange. Its always cardiff or la jolla or swamis.

[get wet]

you guys are always bagging on Vb. its not the best on the east coast but when it gets good its fun. For me its brought me along way in Surfing so yeah its not the best but its still a decent wave.

[Northender]

Ya, lets all trash Virginia Beach some more... hahah, next time theres waves we will all drive up to ocmd. Anyways VB is a love hate relationship it can go from bad to worse to great. Last day of summer before school it was over head with a NW wind making it choppy but the rights were heavy and hollow, Then it went onshore and sucked, so the few people being out there left, I ran up to my friends house got some food and 15 mins later, it was going off with over head waves and glassy, thats one of the times where I love it here. But what i see normally the case is the report says shoulder high and glassy and I go down and its in the knee high range and drained. but it all really depends on local knowledge. I think half of the guys that that say OCMD is way better than VB knows nothing about VB at all, but the shirts that read "virginia has no waves." any ways i have a picture of last winter when virginia was absolutley pumping. If you zoom in you can see a couple of guys bodies about to duckdive, I assumed that their position was about 1 foot minimal than i counted up from there.

[xgen70]

I had to give you crap if you are going to be picking VB over your local break, That's treason bro; :rolleyes: especially when it really could be a boat load worst here.

I use to think the same thing about no coverage here, other then local sources. But That is something that we should not want. I am glad that no one pays us much attention. WE got it good and no reason to spoil the setup with a whole new wave of transients.

[ECboarder]

Ya, lets all trash Virginia Beach some more... hahah, next time theres waves we will all drive up to ocmd. Anyways VB is a love hate relationship it can go from bad to worse to great. Last day of summer before school it was over head with a NW wind making it choppy but the rights were heavy and hollow, Then it went onshore and sucked, so the few people being out there left, I ran up to my friends house got some food and 15 mins later, it was going off with over head waves and glassy, thats one of the times where I love it here. But what i see normally the case is the report says shoulder high and glassy and I go down and its in the knee high range and drained. but it all really depends on local knowledge. I think half of the guys that that say OCMD is way better than VB knows nothing about VB at all, but the shirts that read "virginia has no waves." any ways i have a picture of last winter when virginia was absolutley pumping. If you zoom in you can see a couple of guys bodies about to duckdive, I assumed that their position was about 1 foot minimal than i counted up from there.


you guys are always bagging on Vb. its not the best on the east coast but when it gets good its fun. For me its brought me along way in Surfing so yeah its not the best but its still a decent wave.

i mainly agree with both of you but mainly the red post. we might not be the best on the east coast but we sure do get swell. some people on here make it sound like VB is a pond. it really isn't that horrible though

[zach619]

Yeah, like I said, I wasn't trying to diss one place or the other. I mean, VB definately has a ton of good things going on. So does OC MD

Being an MD local, OC MD was all I knew growing up, but like I said, all you ever see nationally about the mid atlantic are OBX, Jerz and VB. So, as a kid coming up, I always had this idea that VB was this big surf Mecca. I knew it wasn't any more consistent really, but I guess its like the old saying, "Everyone thinks the grass is greener on the other side".

Its good to hear that OC MD is a great area. Im glad I learned waves there for sure. I just dont know much about VB etc...

What I do know about VB, is really only from this site, and although there are some guys who obviously really love the place, all the bad sh** i hear about VB is always from the guys who live there. I mean, hearing from the guys in VB, its like death valley or something.

Its funny, cause it seems like although both places are super similar, the OC MD crew is all super stoked on their spots, and the VB guys are generally angry.


And to my OC MD boys: Fear not, the OC MD area is still as difficult to access as OBX basically. You cant just "pass through" OC MD, so regardless of showing wave photos and promoting the area online etc, if you dont live in DC or baltimore, it just takes too long to get to OC MD. One way in, one way out, unless you are a jersey kid with a boat.

[scotty]

Its good to hear that OC MD is a great area. Im glad I learned waves there for sure. I just dont know much about VB etc...


This thread has played itself out for sure - i dont think ne one was calling OCMD a great area (for waves). Its a bit more consistent than Va BCH for what thats worth. Its been cold and *mostly* flat for three weeks straight and the waters 40 on a good day (tho it looks like we are about to get hooked up). So not great, but you knew that....

[Swellinfo]

Purely based on quantity of surf, it would go about like this for the Mid Atlantic:

OBX > NJ > DELMARVA > VB

[conway]

WB doesn't get cold.

[Northender]

Purely based on quantity of surf, it would go about like this for the Mid Atlantic:

OBX > NJ > DELMARVA > VB

subjective cough cough. hahah

[wbsurfer]

WB doesn't get cold.

you dont wanna tell them about our secret.

[Swellinfo]

Purely based on quantity of surf, it would go about like this for the Mid Atlantic:

OBX > NJ > DELMARVA > VB

its all about the geographic exposure.

[smitty517]

waves are way better in VB; please go there instead of coming to MD

[zach619]

waves are way better in VB; please go there instead of coming to MD

I am from OC MD, thats all, so I would say the same thing to you. I won't be in either VB or OC any time soon. Too much going on out here.

[Northender]

look whos getting good wave tomo... vb and whose not ocmd... mwhahahah