who here has been surfing this week?

Got out 4 days in a row during lunch this week. Each day a little better than the last. Hadn't done that in awhile. Waist high plus the past 2 days. Water today and yesterday was very clean, almost clear. Dam Neck water temp 48-49, 7-8 degrees higher than this time last year.

 

I thought I was the only one who looked at cams at work! I travel a lot for work and have WiFi on the planes. I'll constantly check out all kinds of cams on Surfline (their crappy 30 seconds free streams) and the surfers view cams and some other nice ones.

I had a really fun but trippy session on Thursday morning, shortly after sunrise. It was foggy as anything I've seen in quite a while. It looked like a scary movie. Guys were pulling up and getting out of their cars/trucks with their borts and were like ''**** IT MAN!'' and getting right back in their vehicles and turning around. So it was my best friend, me and a couple of other guys. It was foggy before the beach, but not nearly as bad until you got to the beach. I was out there for 4 hours and the fog started to burn off after about 2 hours. It was really scary the first couple hours though, like 5 feet visibility in the water. My best friend and I crashed into each other several times and were dropped in on by the couple other guys and we dropped in on them too haha. We all had a laugh about it, as the visibility was almost non-existent and accidents were bound to happen. By the time we left, the fog had mostly burned off and the place started to fill up. It was nice and glassy though, probably waist-ish high. I haven't had a fog session like that in quite an eternity.

 

Fog sessions are the best man!

 

Got wet yesterday. Arrived at one of the go to spots at dawn, lines rolling in, no one out. Me and a buddy paddled out, waves about shoulder, but some sets jacked HH. Was a bit rusty and got worked on a couple bombs. It seemed the medium waves provided bether rides, otherwise it was sectiony. Mostly lefts (backside) but scored a right into the soup. First sesh since early January due to work, travel, etc. Air was 50+, which was nice, but water still 40ish. My surfing was a little off, but was able to get back in the groove towards the end of a 2 hour sesh.

As always it was invigorating and looking forward to the next op.

 

I hate that feeling, when the waves are perfect, but you haven't surfed in so long that you fck up every beautiful line that rolls through for the first hour...

 

MD serving it up this morning. Super fun. I can't wait to see Mitchell's pics

 

So blissed out right now.

The fog had just almost lifted and the waves were clean , chest to shoulder to OH clean, which drew quite a crowd. I even got to meet two young men from Australia there, their accent being unmistakeable.

One of my crew just back from Africa so we all gathered around like preschoolers and listened to her adventure while keeping an eye on the waves. What a special story time it was.

Then we paddled out. The waves were above my skill level, so we all surfed on reformed waves. It was such a treat to be out there on a special morning. By mid morning the wave size came down to a more doable waist to shoulder high. The water and air temperature were perfect.

Valhalla showed up. Maybe he will write up his adventure too.

We knew there would be a crowd, but it was a well behaved crowd. It was so electric to see the grin on everyone's face as they suited up and looked at the water. A real friendly vibe, you just felt like you were surfing with family.

 

jealous! great story, I actually felt like I was there for a sec! thanks to the strain,(black widow)! totally geeked!

 

Nice write-up, Betty. A pleasure to read. Thanks.

 

today was one of those days maaaaaan.

 

They're definitely something else!

I'd like to surf a more unknown spot in the fog, as in a place that I've never really surfed before. It would really add to the ''Scary'' element.

 

Surfed yesterday behind the Blockade Runner at Wrightsville. Paddled out around 10 as I was tired from the day before. Still trying to get my feet back. Waves were ok maybe chest high, but he dreaded south wind started making a mess of it. I got a few, but I guess it is going to take me a few more sessions than I thought to get me feet back. Don't know if it it is me, the board or the waves that sucked. A little of all I guess. Unreal to be no booties and gloves in late Feb.

 

Great write up Betty!

I wouldn't really call my Saturday an adventure. Nothing truly unexpected happened. Just some great waves with 250 or so of my best surfin' buddies. Except for some barely knee high wind chop I got at home the other day, I hadn't surfed in two weeks. I needed some real waves and some vitamin sea.

I knew conditions would be suite because all the fog I drove up in meant no wind. Like Betty and some of her crew, I was a bit intimidated by the size of the waves with sets coming in well overhead. But I didn't drive two hours to sit and watch so it was time to challenge myself some and move beyond my usual comfort zone. The waves were so clean and high tide would provide some cushion and make the waves easier for me to get in to. I performed a quick sand reconne and double checked my leash knotte. Wore a springsuite cuz the air was chilly early (60s) but I could have gotten by with just trunks. The paddle out was easier than expected and I caught my first two waves with dry hair. I got dozens more awesome rides over the next several hours. I was surfing well and feeling quite confident. I also took a few spectacular beatings especially as my energy faded later on. I do feel it in my body today.

The crowd has been mentioned and I knew it would be busy at the secret inlet. It was a Saturday and the forecast was good. But I was surprised to find find so many already out when I arrived just after seven. Apparently somebody had left the gate open. However, as Betty said, it was a well behaved crowd with a good positive vibe. It's mostly the same crew that shows up early every weekend and most everybody plays nice with surprisingly little aggro. I probably drive past dozens of spots that would be much less crowded. But I feel comfortable there and it's nice to be greeted by a friendly face I know in the parking lot and then share some smiles with those same folks in the water. Indeed, it's like surfing with family. A very large extended family. Nowhere else I would rather have been yesterday except maybe my lonely home break but we just ain't getting any surf down here this winter.

Life is good.
I feel sorry for people that don't surf.

 

Yesterday was an amazing morning for sure. I was going to wait till low tide but saw it was breaking through high tide with no problems. I contacted a friend who was coming over from the Gulf side and he wanted to meet up further North than I wanted. He checked the 1st spot and couldn't resist since he doesn't get over here often. I was 40 minutes away so he said he would paddle out and then meet me in an hour at a spot 10-15 minutes South where it was breaking much bigger and better.

I get there on time, check it, chest - head high with inconsistent sets breaking overhead. Clean as could be and looooong lines. Some were near close outs but not for those surfing fast enough. I went back to the vehicle and texted my buddy the deal and waited. Dude kept me waiting, and waiting, till I finally said F it and went in.

Dry hair paddle out, perfect amount of time between waves without too long of a lull. Nothing wrong, everything was just right. I got to the lineup and closed my eyes and had a moment to remember my Grandmother and also a co-worker who recently died. Everything went calm in that moment. I felt there presence and was given the green light to go enjoy myself with no worries about them.

Lineup was more crowded than I am accustom to at my regular spot so that took a while to accept. I managed to paddle to my own peak a few times throughout the 3+ hr session and landed some bombs on my 6ft M-80 that I just finished repairing, I'm sure you've seen the thread.

My buddy shows up mid session close to 90 minutes late. He was on his brand new custom shaped SUP. He was getting lots of waves and at one point some fat girl on a fun board tells him he took her wave. He apologized even though she can't surf or catch waves, and clearly did not have the skill to be out there clogging the lineup. But I digress...

The rest of the session was a blast trading waves with my friend. Wave of the day for me was an overhead left that I got up from the peak and make a big bottom turn with so much speed that shot me right back up the face for a carving top turn still maintaining speed into another deep bottom turn as I'm complely laid out, hand dragging, I went vertical and did a snap off the lip and then back down the face as it detonated and shot me into the flats to finish. I just laughed and let out a yeeeeeew!

Post session, my wife and I went to the Seafood and Music Fest on Cocoa Beach. Food was average and expensive. The jam band from St. Pete was good. Then we had tickets to Dirty Heads and Ballyhoo, both of which were pretty good but the way they section off the floor was terrible. We ended up sneaking into "VIP" for Dirty Heads which just meant long lines to the beer and bathroom.

We left while Dirty Heads were finishing their last couple songs. We took a shuttle back to our vehicle and went home. After a long day and about 6 or 7 of those big Fosters cans I was ready for bed. Slept like a baby...

 

It was fun to read your write up Valhalla. Yesterday was a pretty amazing day for sure.

DP: I really enjoyed reading about your spiritual moment out there. Thanks for sharing it.

Today was not yesterday. It was a choppy mess. My crew were the only ones there except a guy who was getting slammed by the disorganized incoming waves. If there was a lineup, you could've fooled me, as it was so disorganized, it wasn't easy to find it.

After falling down laughing our guts out at one of the crews story about a mishap, One of the buddies and I paddled into the chop for about a half hour while the others smartly watched. Did I mention the wind? It began about 15 mph on shores. Within a half hour it was gusting to 25, making it hard to carry the longboard, and I hoped the wind wouldn't take it if I fell off of it. Plus the Betty Rule is no surfing over 20 mph. Waves looked 4-5' short interval with a wicked lateral drift. The good part was the ocean felt warm, @75.

It was a hopeless paddle fest, and we contented ourselves with just letting whitewater push us in.

We went in with no illusions that we would catch anything. But as always, we left with grins on our faces and stoke in our hearts.

 

Thanks Betty, only a surfer would understand it.

 

Got it good this weekend with a couple of my brosephs. Surfed a completely fogged out break with my friend for like 4 hours. Had it to ourselves for a solid half hour before the crowds came, and then they came. It was still fun. SE swell, stomach to chest with some shoulder to head sets in the mix. Water crystal clear in the AM. A really cool blue/green. Pretty rare for Jerz.

Then went out today in central NJ with another friend and got skunked. Waves just weren't there, as they were forecasted. Lots of close outs. But we made the most of it. Saw a seal in the line up which was pretty rad. Some dude got spooked and left lol I didn't mind. We shared the line up with him for a bit.

 

Surfed the last few days, but didn't shoot. Foggy bums me out with a camera

 

Saturday morning I got our for a two hour session at a mellow uncrowded spot. The sandbarnorth of the point was working very nice, with blue water and a few longboarders sharing the sets with a few shortboarders all spread out. I remember the last wave it was peeling slow,a shoulder high left, and on the backside every time I hit the lip I had to cutback to keep from losing the wave, and it was a ryhthmic feeling, finallly getting my new board wired, and the wave just kept standing up and finding a bit more bottom, and the dance continued. It is a beautiful feeling when all the elements come together, and the entire session was so much fun. I remember a over head high right that kept standing up, and a couple guys were repeatedly killing it on their retro fishes and longboards, totally styling. It was great seeing them flying down thel line on the paddle outs. Life is goode!

 

certainly not big, but fun today. Surfed SP and one other guy 300 yards to the north...he left and had the whole place to myself without a person to be seen in and out of water...just nature...nice. Forecast seemed pretty spot on. Nice to be in split toe 5's last couple times out.