What is with all the NJ threads lately?

Are OH and DOH waves really that uncommon? I live in Central Coast California, we get 'em two, three days a week. Are the swells in the Pacific that much bigger than the Atlantic?

 

It's what Dela-Wares.

 

OH aren't, we get them pretty regular, DOH we get are share but not like you. You have a thing called Pacific Ocean we have a thing called Lake Atlantic...lol

 

lmao! From someone who shows jupiter on videos with 1 second rides into closeouts. Quality, size and consistency on the east coast is as others have said.

1. OBX
2. NJ
3. northern florida, not central florida,
4. everywhere else.

 

this just makes you sound like a whiny child, clamoring for attention. "hey, HEY! look at me! ma! look at me! i get good waves too! hey, ma! watch!"

 

Your mistaking me for somebody else, I don't post videos from Jupiter nor do I surf down there...get it right

 

NJ is exposed to get swell from a lot of directions, particularly Steeply angled south swells that can pass a lot of our neighbors by really works great at some spots... also northern NJ has a deepwater canyon offshore

 

IMO, flip flop N/Central Florida to #2 with Jerz at #3 just from a consistency factor. Maybe more tubes in Jers when its big, but there are more makeble, surfable waves and swells in FL. Especially since it has been well documented that most of those sick jersey shots of guys in standup barrels result in a violent closeout situation. Which is why I vote that surfing photography should follow skateboardings lead. If you dont land the trick, you can't publish the shot. So a lot of those big tubes should get an asterik next to them, just like all 3 of the patriots superbowl victories =)

 

Most people would question this source, but go look at MSW's historical data info. It judges consistency as swells that are over 3 feet @ 7 seconds as a recordable windswell with groundswell data as well. If you look at the data, and its pretty spot on as far as CA and HI are concerned, but the order puts Florida and OBX in by far the highest category as far as ridable, consistent waves. Jersey is third but way behind as far as the statistics go....

If I remember correctly, if you average the entire years months, OBX and Florida are in the low 40% as far as how many days of the year are surfable, while the third place is jersey clocking in at 25% and Maryland clocking in at about 21%, VB is around 19% and SC/GA are around 14%

Its the most accurate source online.... Regardless of how you feel about the forecasting, the historical data is pretty true...

And Southern California clocks in at about 78% ridable waves throughout the year.

 

You make some good points, never spent much time on that site but I believe it, another thing to consider is we have the gulf too, which some may laugh because it isn't all that great usually but it has it's moments every year and adds options, and hurricanes always affect our state, gotta go through FL first, then everybody else gets left overs. I see some sick videos from all over the east coast though, so while FL gets it more often, other spots get their moments too

 

I actually agree with this. Now granted, I'll be the first to say I snowboard/skate more often than I get to surf, and I have serious respect for those taking heavy closeouts to the head. I am not paddling out in DOH surf when it happens, at least not yet. I get that the ocean is a fickle thing, and it's not like you can make a wave NOT break all at once. Still, I could certainly go to the nearest handrail in the winter, pop super stylish over the thing and get a sweet picture, then break my back falling on the rail. It wouldn't get published though, because I didn't land it. Something about watching east coast surf videos with scary brown barrels that all end with the guy getting pinched in the tube just isn't satisfying to me.

That said, I was born in NJ and grew up going to the beach there. Call me a benny if you want for living elsewhere and coming to visit when I can, and I'll take it, just as long as I get to catch some waves when I come through. I've been all around, but no part of the ocean on the east coast feels quite as home to me as jersey in all it's dirty glory.

 

A few years back, Maxim magazine had some top 50 list of something or other as they usually do to take up pages in their mag. One of the lines was: "#26. Rhode Island: what's the point?"

Classic.

 

I've been surfing south jersey and central fl for 20 years. Both are great places to surf, but cfl easily beats jersey for consistent supply of makeable waves. these days I'm mostly paddle-shredding the gulf coast in the Naples area, and there's no comparison.

 

No, it doesn't.

What exactly constitutes "makeable waves." Dude, any person who knows what they are talking aboot knows that Jersey is better than Florida.

I quote a surfline dude referring to Florida's run of luck the other week, " It was the first time Florida outshinned the north since Hurricane Sandy." Ask any east coast mag dude, and they'll tell you Jersey is better. They've been around. Dude, Matt Walker knows Jersey is better than Florida. Oh smack, Matt Walker wrote an article for SURFING 5 years ago and said about a certain stretch of Jersey, "Why is is that (this area) sees the biggest and best swells on the east coast lately....." He lives on the banks and knows his stuff.

Florida is user friendly 12 months a year. I think you might have "easier" surfing life confused with the actual waves when comparing New Jersey and Florida. Thank you.

 

This consistency debate is kinda off base... when you consider there are even specific spots that are far and away more consistent than neighboring spots. So comparing the consistency of "Florida" with "Jersey" is a bit confounded, IMO.

Somebody mentioned north Jersey as having an offshore canyon... that's what gives the waves up here more punch, but it can also redirect swell, sometimes creating a shadow for certain stretches of coastline, sometimes focusing swell and magnifying it. But then you have the dead North-South orientation, and the location of LI, which narrows the swell window, while south Jersey has a more wide open swell window, but that can diffuse swell energy, making it loose size and power.

Location, location, location...

 

I don't know about the Jersey Surf Mag reference. I think in recent years, they have gotten more exposure, but every hurricane that comes through always starts down there in FL, and I can't remember a hurricane swell that didn't produce epic shots on Florida's atlantic coast. I mean, trunking it in DOH offshore conditions with clear water. All over surfline, every time... A guy just last week posted that sick sandy video of like a dozen world class tour pros that were down in FL getting shacked in clean 8-10 foot conditions.

And by "makable waves", I mean conditions that produce makable barrels and such. I know that one 3-5 foot day, jersey may produce a little more power. But Florida has reefs and tons of spots that can hold an ample amount of swell. Jersey cannot boast that, neither can anyone from Florida to Rhode Island (exlcuding OBX of course because of their mutant sand bars that can hold clean barrels in pretty much any size, but Jersey doesnt have that luxury).

While I agree that a surfing lifestyle may be easier in Florida, like the ESPN show states, numbers never lie. Florida just flat out has more surfable days and when its gets big and heavy, Florida has spots that can hold it. The mid atlantic does not. Yes, Sandy produced cools shots in OC MD of guys Towing in and stuff, but I think out of all that footage, I saw one barrel that was actually exited out of cleanly and the guy got towed in. I saw some macking shots of Jersey, but I didn't see one video of guys making it out. I am sure there are some floating around, but all the good footage I saw were nice head high clean up days... But with that being said, every state has head high+ clean up days with barrels. Even here in low country. But we dont have reefs or anything that can hold decent size. A standup barrel into a detonating close out shorepounder in nothing to write home about. Guys get an A for effort going out, but the end result isnt very desirable.

I guess its comparing apples to oranges, but a spot in hurricane alley, with reefs and the sebastian inlets etc. that can offer world class surf when its on can definately be in the conversation of the best spot on the atlantic coast. And yes, maybe Jersey's Head high conditions can offen out way the same head high conditions in FL, but like I said, the numbers dont like, and with all that localized wind swell in Florida, those guys are for sure out having fun more often than anywhere on the east coast, OBX included. Its just a numbers game.

 

^^+1, yep!

 

I agree with most of what has been said on this thread except this... Florida does not get OH waves on a "regular" basis.. Sometimes, yes. Regular, no.

Not saying NJ does either.

 

Think what you like but I only see mush burgers in Florida. If there are ever barrels (rarely), I only see the 1 second rides like these videos posted. Surfer drops in, close out into barrel. You talk about pros getting shacked in that last Sandy Swell in Florida. That was a 100 year swell for Florida. They never saw that size before. I don't think you can compare a swell that never happens there. Look at videos of Jersey were plenty of surfers are coming out of barrels. Maybe your not looking hard enough. Yes, surfing is easier in Florida on the mushier waves in warm water year round. Don't confuse easy conditions with better surf.

You pull your data from Magic Seaweed, lmao. They are never right in the mid atlantic. It's probably worth looking on another site that posts accurate data. Maybe there is history on the swellinfo site that can be used. Jersey is exposed to most swells. If you are comparing Florida as a whole. You have to compare the entire state of NJ. That includes sandy hook which faces N. North Jersey facing E. South Jersey facing SE and cape may facing S. If you look at the entire state, there is probably a rideable wave in one of the locations more than the Florida average.