I miss winter

as do i

 

I hear Bethany Beach used to be surfable - that's hard to imagine. I body surfed there a few times in 2006 right at the public/private beach line. I surfed there last summer/Fall but it was tricky and broke really hard.

 

And baby Jesus heard you and smiled from Hawaii saying "Done"

 

Coming from not being able to remember a winter in over 30 years where we missed almost a month of sessions because the surf breaks were too ICY to paddle out in. In my book, thats gnarly cold.

 

Remember the slushies?

 

Dizamn Mitchell! Ok that's gnarly

Water temp wise this year was gnarly cold...You know in my practically 20 years of bodyboarding in and around NJ I've never seen the ocean proper freeze..Like I mean for real freeze all the over

But as far as air temps it wasn't near as bad as last year...Sheit we had a nice swell Christmas Day and although the water temps were already in the low 40s the 60 plus air made it feel nice

 

Considering buoy 44009 hit 33....the lowest recorded temperature ever in its recording history....where were you?

 

Somewherez in Monmouth or Ocean County rockin' a 4/3 with a hooded vest dawg

Hey I just purchased my first 5 mill end of January bruh

Ah you must not have seen my reply to Mitchell

 

Man...I really hate putting on a 4/3,hooded, boots and gloves. It has to be promising for me to go out dead of winter...and like was stated already this winter had some pretty decent days but colder than normal...mediocre at best.

I like Spring. Coming out of winter, the H2O is still cold enough to keep the part timers out of the water/way. Generally, there are lows popping off the coast providing pretty consistent surf (this spring has been OK). Paddling out with a spring suit on after wearing all that rubber is nice. I seem to have more stoke in the spring for EC surfing...yup spring is where it's at!!!

...looking like it will be pretty slow going in the near future with dat jet stream flowing so far north...may be good for NE...maybe. Let's hope for some powerful Bermuda highs to provide some early summer action.

 

It is science, dude, the science of climatology which, according to NOAA, was the second coldest February in recorded history of temps being recorded.

 

I saw someone surfing at the inlet when it was 38 degrees. he said he had been in the water when that photo in Rehoboth had been taken and said that he and his buddies had to get out of the water because the ice blocks were hitting them and it was dangerous. i don't think there were as many at the inlet as Rehoboth, but they were there.

 

il take the winter over this hot humid sticky bs anyday.its a lot easier to warm up when ur cold rather than cooling down in the sun.i always thought that's why god gave us beaches,so when its hot as balls we can go in some nice cool water.

 

I agree the ice didn't get that way at IRI for very long, but I did see the north side of IRI exactly like that one day - way too choked with ice to paddle out. I also surfed the south side of IRI a couple times this winter with ice chunks in the water but they were small enough and slushy enough you could still surf - the ice chunks were the size of footballs but felt like jellyfish.

But yeah, the closer you got to the mouth of the Delaware Bay, the longer it was like that...weeks...not days.

 

that barrel tho.... fookin awesome picture man

 

Not one of mine, sadly. I wish.

I do love the texture and that oil/grime/waste/whatever yellowish brown swirl on the shoulder. Makes it look expensive

 

Nothing like eating it on a 5 foot Jersey tube in 39 degree water with 19 degree air. A totally new and profound level of pain. But ohh when you make it!!!!!!

 

You hear a lot of talk on here or hear aboot "The Best Month for Surf on The East Side"

March is historically the best month, arguably, I reckon, but it tends to ring true.

At least that's what Greg "Grog" Mesanko told me on his Grog's Surf Palace surf report (201) 749-8849...I think. Kids don't call, as the number has been dead for decades. Shucks, they even changed the area code around there I think.

This winter was dreary.

I used to love the winter. I perked-up on cold grey days.

Now as I age, the cold tends to hit me harder these days. Zaps motivation. Kids, if you are on it during winter you have "dis-ra-prin" (South Park reference # 789).

But even know I expect the beaches to be deserted. I don't get used to it until deep August. And then things change again.

I can't really comment on this winter. I kind of bagged it after Gonzo in late October. I don't know. I didn't surf in November or December except Thanksgiving. I don't have an excuse. After years, I skipped a few months. Surfed sporadically in January and February. Back in the game March.

The cold had nothing to do with it.

I guess I surfed heavy the past five years barely missing any decent day. Ha, when I think of last November I remember windy, radiant days, traversing the deserted waterfront area of Camden with my buddy Harris; walking the Ben Franklin Bridge; and watching my buddy blast in alleys in Old City. Good times...good times. Yeah, it was 4-6' + one of them days, windy as truck, and I imagine I didn't miss much, as reports had it drifty, shifty and one of them corner-chasing days.

Man, I'm over that junk anymore.

But, that mid-afternoon, November sun shinning down on the poor city of Camden, and the barren landscape of the only "tourist" area of the city was kind of cool. You could kind of feel the ghosts of summer. You know that feeling you get a few days into the end of the "summer surfing season" when everyone packs-up and forgets the beaches until next June. Yeah, something like that, but more.

 

Riley I can't remember the month but it was still pretty friggin cold that day we scored Gansett.