Sandy Hook, NJ - "No water Entry"

[LBNJ Local]

All of the hype about Bill this past weekend closed Sandy Hook to anyone with a sufboard. The girl at the toll booth told us that "we were instructed to not allow anyone with a surfboard into the park." That's crazy to me, I don't think they realize that we surf it twice as big and powerful all through the winter.... I'm very curious to know if anyone got through and had a chance to check the cove or Gunnison's... It was probably firing there and if anyone was able to get on it they probably had a perfect day with an empty line-up.

Don't get me wrong, I know they are only doing what's right to protect the Benny's but closing the beaches to surfers is crazy!!!

[aka pumpmaster]

Wildwood was closed for saturday but North WW wasn't so if you drifted into WW they had cops all over the beach with bullhorns telling you to come in. A couple guys ignored them and got arrested on the beach.

[snowbird]

My friend and I got out to Gunnison's little before 6:00 am and no one was out and it was peeling nice about head high. Nothing you haven't seen before size-wise. There was a lot of water moving around though for sure.

I made it into the park before anyone was at the front gates so no one was there to stop me. Apparently, two other guys made it through as well because they showed up on Gunni beach and paddled out just before we were ready to go grab the boards from the car. Then, the MAN showed up in the green and white 4X4 and told the guys to get out of the water under threat of arrest. Interestingly, my friend who was there is a Star Ledger reporter and had his vid cam to do a story on the fly about the waves. He managed to catch the whole ordeal. Check it:

http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/200..._sandy_ho.html

[LBNJ Local]

Good call on the video footage; Perfect! Thanks!

[jnich74]

Re-donculous..... Good capture SL

[dave]

sad to say, I agree with the decision. Thanks to the hype, you had a lot of people out there at every spot who really had no business being out there, in general. Thankfully, the pounding shorebreak kept most of the kooks with their funboards relegated to land, but with that place, you walk 20 yards swim another 20 and your in the takeoff spot. Defo the right call.

[Zippy]

I just threw up. I have never seen Sandy Hook so big it was dangerous and thats 30 years of looking. Back in the 80's There was a hurricane swell coming and a few people had drowned down in LBI or something. It was macking down there but no bigger than chest high at Sandy Hook, if that. We all showed up at 2nd jetty (now under mounds of sand) and were contemplating going out, it was so small and weak it looked almost not worth it. A swarm of rangers arrived and warned us not to surf or be arrested due to the "strong" rip. We all laughed and said it was hardly ridable. They said don't go out and called back up. There were about 10 surfers, all locals who grew up surfing there and it was the closest I have ever been to being in a riot. It got heated and while it was going on someone sneaked by and paddled out, then we all grabbed our stuff and paddled out. The rangers were freaking on the beach and the jetty, eventually they gave up and left. I have never been sure why they gave up. The next week or so there was another swell way bigger and monsterous at Sandy Hook, the Cove was firing, fist, second jetty were going off. People were swimming at unguarded beaches, surfers everywhere. Because the swell was not hyped by the media not a word was said. If there was ever a time some benny whould have been hurt it was the 2nd swell but they let it go. I hate Bureaucracy. Sorry you went through that.

[LBNJ Local]

Some things never change zippy.... I was getting hastled by some lifeguards at one of my spots on Sunday, and it got pretty heated. The head guard and I were ready to swing on each other, but I just hooked my leash on and paddled out. He was so pissed, standing on the beach watching us blowing his whistle. He eventually gave up, but that's a perftect example of a kook lifeguard that would probably have trouble even swimming in the ocean. Keep in mind, this is a "beach club lifeguard," so he's not even in shape or knowledgable about the ocean; just a kook!

Another thing that pissed me off this weekend!

[Zippy]

Man I hate NJ, (not the NJ of my childhood), I grew up surfing Sandy Hook but sometime mid 80's things started to change. Too much government in your life up there. Down here in MD on Saturday no swimmers were allowed but experienced surfers and body boarders were. Even though I was allowed I chose not to on Saturday because it looked too big for me, but it was nice to know I could go if I wanted. The worst part of that video was the ass ranger saying "hey buddy" . That's what a cop would say to someone doing something wrong. These guys were actually the safest surfers around going up to Gunnison's away from the crowd and away from the really big pounding surf further south. He should have said excuse me "sir". What an asshole.

[stoneybaloney]

Too much government in your life up there.

Bingooo.