who here has been surfing this week?

Those are some great photos you can feel the good vibe

 

My 14 year old got one of the best waves of the morning yesterday at our local spot. I was lucky enough to nail a tack sharp sequence of it. These pictures are only a part of the sequence. There are a dozen more shots of the beginning of the wave capturing the drop in and wall setting up the tube ride. Unfortunately I ran out of buffer at the end and I missed the gouging turn he was setting up for in the final frame here.

 

Hit the beach south of Boston for another session of fun and fading waves. Started off with some bigger sets around chest high but died down as the morning went along. My arms are toast.

 

excellent sequence CJ

 

Went to a new spot today: heavy beachbreak that gets the full, undiluted force of pacific north swells...kinda like hawaii, but freezing water. Waves were shoulder to head high.

Over 100 guys out (primo spot + Sunday)...and most of the locals are really good. Was worried I might get skunked, but still managed to get some set waves.

Got launched a couple waves in. Tried to make a late drop and the soft-top wasn't having it. Airdrop, pearled and got drilled into the flats...HARD. Lucky, I landed more on my back than ribs, or I would've been pretty fucked up (although, am feeling it as I write this). Later, got another big, steep one and everyone was hooting as I made the drop (normally, I hate hooting...but, this time, got a huge sense of accomplishment).

Tide got pretty high and the inside started working great. Through an obstacle course of school kids (who rip), I got a handful of long & super fun stomach-high insiders.

Got out just before the wind ramped up and it was literally gusting to what seemed like hurricane force within two hours...this place is fucking gnarly.

Hope to stick around this area for several days, but it's forecast to be bigger tomorrow...hope I can handle it.

 

Irish Monk checking in. Enjoying your write up of what sounds like a perfect day in the southern Northeast. It was good, and thorough. Been too long man it was great catching up.

I never got in the water but I did take my little one on a ferris wheel for the first time sunday. She's a little fkn charger though no fear whatsoever.

 

Haha yes! This was our first official carni type experience, it was great. I had a feeling to wear shitty clothes and I ended up with fried dough sauce all over me.

 

Couldn't see anything through the fog at dawn. Sun finally burned just enough off to see a sloshy windswell on an incoming tide...kinda like "victory at sea", but without wind. Only 3 guys out...all huddled in one spot.

Timed the paddle-out perfectly and didn't realize just how big it really was until the first set rolled through...huge, meaty, mountains of water. I was completely intimidated and took a good 20 min to get up the courage to drop in.

Ate shit on my first attempt. Landed on my ribs (they still hurt). My first make was a left bomb. At least, a 10 ft face and fast as hell...kinda like a roller coaster, weaving in and out of the massive lumps. Got a giant turn and rode it all the way to the beach.

Despite that good wave, I was definitely rattled by the size/conditions and kept falling on the next few waves. After about an hour of basically just floating (and trying to duck-dive 57 liters of volume through all the whitewater), I drifted into an area where some local shredders had paddled out (of course, they were killing it). They were all watching as I caught a nicely shaped, but smaller wave. It was embarrassing: I made it, but my my foot placement was bad and my form was atrocious. Fortunately, I got caught inside for what seemed like 20 min and got so tired, had to get out.

I was about to just leave, but decided to walk back down to where I started and try again. There were more people out, so less intimidating and the competition was motivating. Paddled right out and immediately caught another bomb even bigger than the first...no turns, but even faster
and longer. Caught two more bombs and only got out because I couldn't paddle anymore.

Don't know if I have strength to deal with that shit tomorrow (I'm 55 yo and my joints aren't so great)...but I'll give it a check.

 

Love all the smiles over the shoulder. Nice pics!

 

Thanks. I got a few shots of him that day where he was turning heads.

 

Saturday in Avalon, NJ

Damn water droplets!


... and a different wave


fun stuff for this old man!

 

nice shot man I surfed wind chop today

 

Bluebird dawn patrol this morning. No wind and swell seemed to have dropped to a more manageable level...I was pretty stoked.

Turns out it was much bigger than it looked from the parking lot. Sets still overhead and exceptionally powerful.

First wave was a nice left bomb that just reeled forever...the crew were all watching. Second wave was a smaller insider on which I made my first full (soft-top) roundhouse.

Unfortunately, a huge set came in as I was paddling back out and I was struggling to repeatedly duck-dive my fat/unwieldy board under all the violence. When I finished my underwater wrestling match & finally made it to the line-up, I had a painful/pinching sensation in my left shoulder joint...bad enough I could barely paddle.

Despite the pain, I caught another wave and had to walk down to a mellower spot just to paddle back out. At this point I was basically paddling with only one arm & no duck-dives (bailing my board or trying to hold it to my side).

Barely using the arm helped. I drifted down & caught a couple more nice ones before the onshores wrecked it.

Needless to say, surfing with that much pain was dumb. Even though tide & conditions should be good a few more days, I have to bail and let my shoulder heal...if it even does.