Sandy Hook, NJ - "No water Entry"

Wildwood was closed for saturday but North WW wasn't so if you drifted into WW they had cops all over the beach with bullhorns telling you to come in. A couple guys ignored them and got arrested on the beach.

 

My friend and I got out to Gunnison's little before 6:00 am and no one was out and it was peeling nice about head high. Nothing you haven't seen before size-wise. There was a lot of water moving around though for sure.

I made it into the park before anyone was at the front gates so no one was there to stop me. Apparently, two other guys made it through as well because they showed up on Gunni beach and paddled out just before we were ready to go grab the boards from the car. Then, the MAN showed up in the green and white 4X4 and told the guys to get out of the water under threat of arrest. Interestingly, my friend who was there is a Star Ledger reporter and had his vid cam to do a story on the fly about the waves. He managed to catch the whole ordeal. Check it:

http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2009/08/no_surfing_allowed_at_sandy_ho.html

 

No rip

Re-donculous..... Good capture SL

 

sad to say, I agree with the decision. Thanks to the hype, you had a lot of people out there at every spot who really had no business being out there, in general. Thankfully, the pounding shorebreak kept most of the kooks with their funboards relegated to land, but with that place, you walk 20 yards swim another 20 and your in the takeoff spot. Defo the right call.

 

I just threw up. I have never seen Sandy Hook so big it was dangerous and thats 30 years of looking. Back in the 80's There was a hurricane swell coming and a few people had drowned down in LBI or something. It was macking down there but no bigger than chest high at Sandy Hook, if that. We all showed up at 2nd jetty (now under mounds of sand) and were contemplating going out, it was so small and weak it looked almost not worth it. A swarm of rangers arrived and warned us not to surf or be arrested due to the "strong" rip. We all laughed and said it was hardly ridable. They said don't go out and called back up. There were about 10 surfers, all locals who grew up surfing there and it was the closest I have ever been to being in a riot. It got heated and while it was going on someone sneaked by and paddled out, then we all grabbed our stuff and paddled out. The rangers were freaking on the beach and the jetty, eventually they gave up and left. I have never been sure why they gave up. The next week or so there was another swell way bigger and monsterous at Sandy Hook, the Cove was firing, fist, second jetty were going off. People were swimming at unguarded beaches, surfers everywhere. Because the swell was not hyped by the media not a word was said. If there was ever a time some benny whould have been hurt it was the 2nd swell but they let it go. I hate Bureaucracy. Sorry you went through that.

 

Man I hate NJ, (not the NJ of my childhood), I grew up surfing Sandy Hook but sometime mid 80's things started to change. Too much government in your life up there. Down here in MD on Saturday no swimmers were allowed but experienced surfers and body boarders were. Even though I was allowed I chose not to on Saturday because it looked too big for me, but it was nice to know I could go if I wanted. The worst part of that video was the ass ranger saying "hey buddy" . That's what a cop would say to someone doing something wrong. These guys were actually the safest surfers around going up to Gunnison's away from the crowd and away from the really big pounding surf further south. He should have said excuse me "sir". What an asshole.

 

Bingooo.

 

that video made me throw up in my mouth a little. maybe all the saltwater i injested in the past couple days helped too? f-n NJ for ya!

 

hahahaha i was on the train with the three guys from newport beach.. sucks for them that they got shut down

 

That sucks they closed Sandy Hook for you guys. I fired off an e-mail to the Sandy Hook Park Service, and the governor. Told them I wasn't going to spend any hotel, gas, food money in the state. If a bunch of people e-mail them, it might work for next time. It's a joke they banned surfers, when it's only surfers who know how to deal with the waves. They should ban swimmers.

http://home.nps.gov/ner/sendmail.htm?o=;3(3/OJ+#NKZ8LA"0^!&MK$^/5:]2II_16!"X &r=/gate/contacts.htm

http://www.state.nj.us/nj/feedback.html

 

trust me, your email(s) will be soundly ignored as they have more pressing matters to concern themselves with presently - but back to SH - I don't like the fact that they did it but it was the right call. Do any of you have any idea how much a rescue operation costs? I was walking to where I surfed Sunday, guy walking next to me has almost no wax on his funshape/fish hybrid kook sled. I say hey man you need some wax? He goes nah I think my rash guard has good grip, then I look at his feet and he's got aqua socks on. I just looked at him and shrugged. He then goes "I'm a beginner, this is my first summer in the water" I said maybe you should sit this out, or at least wait until the swell peaks and starts to deplete. He replies oh its cool my friend knows what he's doing, he'll make sure I don't get into trouble. So I check the guy out in the water, the friend is just as kooked out as he was. Neither of them made it past the shorepound, they got slapped back onto the beach in about 3 minutes. At SH those two pinheads would've been right out there in the lineup with everyone else.

 

Ya, that is a shame they closed out the spot but they're likely worried about liability since this is the fee collecting season. We all know that after labor day the Park Service and all the other municipal tools will retreat to their backrooms to count up the money they made throughout the summer and go back to not caring if surfers are on the beach or not. What I don't understand is the NPS in North Carolina posted signs but they weren't threatening to arrest anyone, in fact, several of the rangers were just enjoying the show. But the NPS in NJ was probably just reacting to all the media coverage and Bloomberg shutting down the NYC beaches. Someones hand was forced at Sandy Hook because I've seen twice as big at the cove...

Seriously, it's just ridiculous, such a hypocrisy.

 

Pretty F'n sad you guys agree with Sandy Hook being closed. It wasn't even near being big. You guys need to do some traveling. As far as liability, with your rational they should just shut down beaches, too many people that don't know what they are doing. Gee, you could shut down beaches, fire the lifeguards, and then you wouldn't have to worry about liability, and you could save money.
Better get back to paying for your beach tags, and stay on the sand boys.

 

Who agreed?? I read one statement that someone agreed. Government stepping in and weakening personal responsibilty is always wrong. If it takes a few idiots drowning to give us all some freedom so be it. Eventually people will get back to taking some responsibility for themselves and use common sense. No one stopped me from surfing on Saturday other than a sense of my own ability, or lack there of, and the danger that surf posed to me. Any one who would sue is as much to blame as the NPS. I agree, open all the beaches, fire all the staff and eventually there would be fewer drownings and a huge savings in tax payer money.

 

It's frustration Zippy, I read someone here, and the dude on the video, who wasn't from Newport as far as I can tell.
I just posted my feelings, and the links to try and help you young guys, sorry if I am wrong and your not young. No offense.
I grew up in Cali, and knew about Sandy Hook, Manasquan, and Montauk. They were famous places I would have liked to surf someday. Now I have, and I feel people should know the history that goes with these spots.
They should fight for the right to surf there. I'm just disgusted that they would close the beach on a tiny day like that. I surfed it last winter bigger than that.
I am not a local there, actually I don't want to be known as a local, I want to be a traveler and explore new spots.
I have never had a problem with locals, but I can standup for a spot I don't surf often.

 

No problem ECkneelo. You are right I am not young, I am 43, been surfing 30 + years and I hate to see political correctness work to take freedom from people. That's what I see as the problem people willing to take crap and not try to change it for fear of offending someone. That place is always the smallest wave on the coast and easily the safest and they have the nerve to shut it down? West Coasters must be laughing their asses off over that one. On the East coast NJ is the worst place by far and is a virtual police state at times with law enforcement and government crap touching everypart of your life. I loved growing up there in the 70's but don't miss it today. Did you ever see this picture I posted a while back? It is the Sandy Hook of my youth, pretty amazing huh?

 

That is beyond gorgeous. Thank You!