who here has been surfing this week?

Back in the water yesterday during lunch after being away 2 1/2 weeks. Had been in upstate NY visiting relatives and helping out some at wife's folks' house.
Fun, waist high-plus and fairly clean. Air temps in mid 80s, water low 70s. Had to dodge several waders wallowing in the designated surfing area.
Found myself a bit out of shape surf-wise. It doesn't take long when you're almost 62. The Saranac and Utica Club beer during the NY trip probably didn't help.

 

Surfed some chop in Montauk. Didn't get a $150 parking ticket so that was cool.

I mostly surf MA and RI and the beaches (I go to) are pretty shallow with biggish tides. It's quite a change to come to the east LI beaches and see minimal tides and sharp shore break waves in most spots.

 

Today is 3r day in a row I get out, small, glassy, 2 footers about.
And will go for a long bike ride before lunch today.
Getting ready for PR in winter; hoping for da big ones while there.

 

Yesterday was a weird day. We got put on standby for fires so my boss thought it appropriate to bring the crew down to the jetty to torture me and the other surfers who worked on fires by making us sit and watch the waves.

It sucked when i first got there so i started to take a nap, when someone woke me up and asked if i knew who was surfing. I did so I watched for awhile and the waves turned on with the tide. It wasn't great but clean and headhigh, and I was in uniform and unable to surf. Soon enough the local suspects rolled up and there was a bonified session.

BOOM fire call, we peel out and change location.

Later in the evening my buddy who was surfing texts me this

"just wanted to give you a heads up six foot shark south jetty, took a big ol bite out of a seal its guts were all hanging out"

sent me a picture of the seal with no guts.

apparently the shark surfaced next to one of my friends (within 50 feet), and attacked the seal on the inside of them. Clearly a juvie white. Ripped the poor suckers guts out and the thing got pulled out to sea still alive in a rip. Creepy stuff, sometimes, I guess theres a reason when you miss an decent session due to work. Especially when its this time of year and the air gets that fishy smell.

 

Monday AM session was fun. warm water clean surf on Monday am always good.

 

Well, wadya know? A little bit of the swell made it down here today. Sure, it was small knee high liners but it was clean. I got out for a short while around low tide which caused most waves to close out quickly. Water was crystal clear turquoise and somewhat cooler than our typical August bath water. Best of all I surfed with a crowd of just one, myself.

Any time I can surf clean swell this time of year, no matter how small, I'll take it. Now bring on the choppy choppe this weekend. Great way to start August. Suite.

 

We've had whales in the lineup the last 2 days.

Not outside the lineup. In the actual lineup.

 

That's cool. Do you know what kind?

We don't even get dolphins here which I always found strange considering we're just around the corner from where Flipper lived.

 

My buddy said he thought it was a small Gray? I didn't even see it, but my wife and everyone else saw it lol.

Just saw my first porpoises out here, in the harbor a couple weeks ago. Dozens of them, but not together.

Totally weird but cool

 

That's pretty gatdamn spooky.

 

Couple waves on the mini simm tonight. Knee to waist. Virtually no wind, and only a few ppl in and out of the line up. It started out a bit fat with a receding high tide, but as it drained out more I pulled into a series of lefts and rights. Pulled a few half cutbacks and got this fun little cheater five off the front of the simm. Just enough to get me stoked.

Off to myrtle beach with my gfs family this weekend -_- but it looks like early next week we should be getting something in filthy joizy. Fings crossed.

 

Were they wearing bikinis??

 

No surfing for me today, conditions were junk anyway.

Went to a friend's house and used his pool, then went out on his boat in the evening. Hopefully some kind of surf this weekend. We might be due for some sh!t conditions after how awesome May and June were here. I was working for 10 days in July and then went to Vegas for 7 days, so I wasn't available to surf for more than half the month, but it was nothing worth bragging about when I was able to and from what I heard from people who were able to.

 

A lot of small july swells that did not produce anything remarkable, save the occasional hour or two that it was still smallish but pumping.

This little stretch from brick beach to ocean beach is the place to be this time of year unless it gets too big or too long. We get a lot of little pumping swells that miss the rest of jersey, or have a window where it all comes together with more power and size than the rest of the state. Happens every summer. No jetties, facing due east, picking up more swell energy, all spread out, sticking out a little further, less continental shelf, bigger wave field to paddle around to and when it is good it is magnified. This week Sunday night after everyone left and monday morning before anyone woke up there was a pumping, rippable swell with literally only 2 and 3 guys the entire time, including me. Warm waves, good for a couple hours, probably had 8-10 days like that in july. Really never all-time or best day of the year, but ok good and fun. A relatively good but not quite great july.

 

I surfed some real junk last night. Only guy in the ocean. Had some fun. Desperation. Junk week since good surf monday. 10 foot in the eye 50-50 did the job. This board is like cheating!

 

Same... Bunch of dudes with boards sitting on the beach watching me "surf" 1' sideshore junk. Musta been pretty funny...

 

saw an hour before work was wrapping up that the conditions improved down here at folly. wind died down, waves were slow rollers but not eh bad. nothing predicted this way, and one of three cameras working. buddy mentioned it and i jumped on the idea. chest hi and clean. lotta ppl were in the water and more showed after, but we both brought 7'+ funnboards thinkin they would handle the slow rollers. kinda wish i had a better shape, but we got a buncha rides off of them, and it turned out to be one of the better days in a long time. slept like a champ yesterday, good times before the wknd

 

We surfed. They didn't.

 

Oh! Forgot to mention... saw about a 5' Brown Shark yesterday. Just cruising the outside bar, from South to North. Only saw him once, then he was gone...

 

Surfed [eastern end of LI] this morning. That really is a fun longboard spot. Started to get crowded right when I left.

That place must be a total zoo on weekends in spite of limited parking, like the Wall.