So, after years of watching data and reading other historical information, the mathematical breakdown of these locations, as far as how many surfable days per year there are... (All weird statistics aside, just the most days of the year that one can surf, regardless of temp etc. Just complete surfable data) The math says that it goes VB - #1 OC MD, #2 WB, NC, #3 And obviously OBX and parts of the Jersey shore showed up way ahead as far as the data that I have, but for THOSE THREE locations, is that about the right rankings? As far as most days of available surf? Year round? Im thinking WB probably gets more windswell in the summer, but with OCMD and VB more open to all the E swell angles, they always seem to produce a little more in the winter etc... Is this right? I dont want to re-open debates or arguments about each region. Im just talking straight surf data.
One said, "define a surfable day?" ,....I think the data set would have to be more varied, what were the criteria for your analysis? Where was the data gathered from? What types/categories of data did you compile? What variables were considered? Where local conditions and spot/swell magnets/multipliers taken into consideration? I think your defined spot choices are flawed. In regard to OCMD, yes it tends to be a more focused venue, but for the core locals, the rippers from DE, MD and EVA end up at the same spots/best form and breaks for any given swell. We are blessed with the ability to switch spots with tide changes and winds shifts. You might start the day in South Delaware, move to OC for mid-day to early afternoon and finish off the day with a low tide session at AI. On average I would say that I think the DelMarVa has got VB beat hands down. I can not speak for WB, <<<warmer currents have got to be a plus 5+ from the start at least. I do not think WB is even in the same grouping, got to be better then us or VB.
True enough,..I guess I am thinking of it as a quick trip north for me as opposed to another trip south for you. Either way DelMarVa does have just enough options to expand our session/swell windows. I stay put most of the time, OC gives the goods on average, but it sure is nice to be able to get in those day before and day after by knowing the setup and what will work and when. I do not see those options available in VB, is this correct?
I have lived in both places and presently in vb. No question, hands down, OC is better and more consistent. OC receive the south swells that miss us and they have barrels. In vb when there's tubes, its still weak.It's a rare day that vb has waves and oc doesn't but more often than not, oc has surf and vb doesn't.
Well, my sources are multiple. Mainly LOLA (Surfline) readings. Not forecats, but actual daily reports. Also, I checked the Seasonal Surf data from magicseaweed. I basically use the same criteria as them. Over 2-3 feet (surf height, not swell height) in 7 second periods or longer. That, by my hypethetical definition, is a surfable day. So, while WB faces a compeltely different angle, I guess they are out of the question. And DE was not in the question. I was speaking of OC MD (Inlet to 48th st) area and VB from Sanbridge to 1st street. Just the two generally populated areas. So, it sounds like although VB catches some randomly recordable windwswell etc that gets records as 2-3 feet of surf.... But again, I didn't mean, which waves are better, or more powerful.... I mean, a 2-3 foot mush ball and a 2-3 foot barrel are in the same category for this questions. I just meant, overall, since 2 foot mush IS surfable, and 3 foot barrels are too, but when you add up every day that was waist high or bigger, all year.... My info gave VB a slight advantage, saying that about 22% of the time, there is a ridable windswell wave in VB, where OC MD was about 19%, not much different, but 3% is a big difference... Annually that is. I mean, obviously fall and winter can me in the 25%-40% of the time range, while summer months can be 7%-15%, so average that all up, for the entire year... I mean, I know OC MD guys always claim hollower surf, while VB always reps the short distance to OBX But my question was, If you had to surf 1st street in VB, and only there, all year. Or OC MD (48th st), all year, and only there... What is the outcome? More waves in MD or VA?>
Wow. Thanks for the info guys. This is just an over all curiousity question. Like I said, I grew up surfing OC MD in the summer/fall my whole life. I have only surfed VB once. I just noticed how on some swells, it looked like VB got some more juice over the years, but every time I have EVER asked anything remotely like this, I get the answer that OC MD has more waves. Period. Again, just curious, not trying to hurt any feelings in either place.
If you were checking station 44014 for vb, you are not getting an accurate read. It sits out far enough that south/southwest wind swell is showing that is completely shadowed by the obx for vb. When there's good solid swell from atlantic low / NEer / Hurricane both places will get swell, for those other 80% of the "surfable" days, they are coming from straight s/sw wind fetch that misses vb completely. That's OC's advantage, it picks up these swells very well. Even locally Delaware will hardly ever show these swells, it will be knee high at best while OC will be peaking stomach to chest.
Hypothetically 2-3ft or more with a 7 second period would be great in VB. It is frequently that or better, but the N and NW wind constantly has everything blown out and it is always choppy, especially in the winter months when those conditions would occur with more frequency. I think you need to factor into your results the fact that maybe 20% of the time those conditions occur it is actually surfable. But God do I wish those results reflected reality.
VB faces ENE at all spots, so we're sideshore any time the wind is angled NNW and all points east. You can get different effects at different spots, though. First Street and Croatan have jetties on either side of Rudee Inlet, which cuts down chop if the wind is northerly (Croatan) or southerly (First Street), so the matchup game can be played on a smaller scale. There are a lot of different type of beachbreaks scattered throughout, as well as two piers (15th Street and Little Island in Sandbridge). Our problem also is that the continental shelf is massive down here. We're tucked the furthest west of the seaboard north of NC, so swells travel over shallower water longer before reaching our sandbars, draining the waves of the power points north and south get... Every time I've headed north, I've surfed on AI in VA, and it was better than VB was on the same day. So I would say the Delmarva is more consistent. Wouldn't know about WB.
