Couldn't make it outside...

Coldest water I felt all season on the first duckdive this evening, my guess 37F. I made it out and caught a few decent ones on the sets as the tide bottomed out.

 

Fantastic pic. Good stuff, thanks for posting.

 

Took me 25 minutes to paddle a log out 2 weekends ago into head high-OH surf in Monmouth county. Tried one beach paddled paddled paddled, realized I was barely off the beach and was getting pounded, so I walked maybe 200 yards down, tried again, and after about 10-15 minutes finally made it out. The feeling of just barely making it over the lip of the set wave, knowing you are home free, is the greatest feeling in the world.

That being said, I need to get a winter shortboard


Though according to some people there are no hard paddleouts in Jersey, but my favorite spot, where I was that day, is definately one of the most challenging I've ever dealt with compared to other spots.
And I have never surfed anywhere besides NY/LI, but I feel like jetty/bar breaks must be pretty tough, since there is no channels or predictable reefs.
I think some people just want to act "cool". Me, I'm just there to have fun

 

IMO the entire east coast is a difficult paddle out with any size. I was in El Salvador and the waves were way bigger than today and I could make it out with a dry head.

 

Agree with this insight.
In my limited experience: Diamond Head pulls you out with rips that are dry-hair conveyor belt. Nica can be that way, too. CR, just wait for the breaks in sets & out you go. DR can be interesting when it's big but usually scoot & shoot.
Haven't been everywhere, but east coast beach breaks can be a veritable pounding.

 

Glad to see people with experience who agree.

I was just bringing it up because I remember a post where someone was asking about easier paddle outs and an argument ensued with a couple of people talking about how there are no hard paddle outs in Jersey.

Fortunately for me and I think most people, usually you can paddle out, and if no, you can always get desperate enough to jump off the jetty

 

Have to agree... surprisingly nasty paddle out yesterday. Just the repeated duckdives alone had my head ringing. Also surprised by the size late in the day. Around 4:30pm it totally turned on... consistent overhead sets and most waves were makeable. The swell seemed more organized, and the timing with the dropping tide synced perfectly for the late day session. Where I was it was no turns... no barrels... just point and shoot walls.

 

+3...My travelling experience is limited, but I third that motion.

 

this coast is self regulating. If you can't get out, you probably shouldn't be there.

 

Good point. Same goes for if you cannot hike 5 miles up the beach once the rip drops you off. It will be bigger elsewhere but you get used to rips, hard paddle outs, dumpy beach breaks and freezing water and I'd say where ever you go you'll be pleasantly surprised!

 

If rockaway is know for anything in surfing its arm burn. Last weekend saturn swell I watched as brooklyn kooked hipsters just strolledup to the shoreline, jumped in and started paddling getting swepped from jetty to jetty, duck dive after duck dive and sometimes making out after 8 to 10minutes of paddling.... when I finally decided to headout I literally stood in the shorebreak for 8 or 10 minutes when the window opened. took me 2 minutes to make the paddle out, without taking one on the head....
yesterday's paddle was similar. just need to wait for the window.... the biggest issue is how far out the sandbar is now.

 

Yesterday was awesome!! Let's not forget these days of "waves of consequence" cuz once summer comes it'll be 50 guys scratching for waist high dribblers.

In monmouth county where I surfed the paddle out looked like hell from the beach. It was surprisingly easy with the multitude of rips from the bomb sets overloading the beach and releasing back out to sea.

 

To be honest, I find the whole winter surfing a humbling experience. This is the first year in ages that I have surfed consistently through the winter. The 5ml, hood, boots and gloves, makes for a totally different experience. It makes catching that one that lines up that much more rewarding. Feel like I'm paying my dues all over again. A great way to keep the ego in check.

 

Surfing in Jersey for 30 yrs and couldn't make the paddle out only 2 times that I can remember, one was a hurricane swell when I was like 15, a humbling every grom should experience... The other was after a Nor’easter about 10 yrs ago, I was sick at the time and shouldn’t even have attempted it but I can still picture the barreling lefts that day...a day or two after this I was admitted to the hospital, so I don't take this one too hard. Which brings me to the afternoon of Feb 27…post storm well OH surf in Monmouth county, was able to paddle out hugging the jetty but just past the jetty with the safety of the lineup in sight I inevitably had to take a couple on the head, and really after the 1st one the show was over – within a minute you were 100 yds down the beach and now just 20yds from shore getting pounded...so whitewater belly ride/walk of shame back to the jetty to try again, and again…with no better results. As I’m catching my breath on the beach after the 3rd attempt, commiserating with a few others attempting the same, and considering packing it in, a boogie boarder jumps in and threads the needle right into the lineup – f***er! At which point I tell myself that I will not be denied. And I did get out on my 4th attempt. Caught 2 bombs, the second of which brought me too far inside to shoot back out, so did the whitewater belly ride/walk of glory back to the car.

Couldn't make the paddle out only 2 times that I can remember…

 

Ever hear the story of the Old Bull and Young Bull?