started the day stoked the wind would switch late afternoon tuesday. Class screwed me over being at the perfect time 5pm. All my local spots sucked and squan was firing (what else is new). Got out 30mins before dark yesterday got 4 waves in that time. Went to bed reassured it would be fun in the morning. Wake up at 6am check all the cams, not as good as i hoped. instead of trekking i decided to make due with what i had, waist high wedge that allowed for one turn if that. Really dissapointed as i watch squan still fire as we speak. Not only did school screw me over in the long run, I screwed myself over. Not making due with what I was given and for not driving 2 hours to score. Sorry to rant but i hate seeing everyone else get great waves while i surfed absolute mush. Going to obx this week and the solid week of clean waves down there has come to an end, right in time for my arrival. We'll see how things work out down there and just remember, F*ck school
Got some nice sized waves yesterday... but didn't have a great session. Side-offshore wind put a funky bump on it, the bottom was dropping out and it was super hard to drop in... had to take off late on every wave and half of time I was going over the falls with the lip. Plus... I had the wrong board, expecting it to be a lot smaller... to flat-rockered and too wide in the tail. Ended up getting a few good rides, but "ate it as much as I made it."
LBCrew - were your late takeoffs because you had to fight to get in those waves and more paddles (and time) were needed? I felt the same yesterday with strong offshores holding the curtain up too long although I scored overall. Doesn't mean I didn't make the drops successfully which I did almost every one, but time was needed to stabilize board on the late drop when I otherwise could've been searching for speed by then. Yesterday was the first day in 5 months that I rode a groveler or anything close to a HP and of the 5-10 length. My biggest observation of the day was that the shorter and thinner the board, the earlier I prefer to get a takeoff. Is that the correct objective to have, and why would it be if so? Thanks breh.
Screw school, mang! Drop out right effin' now & surf surf surf! Wait on tables & hump a mop the rest of your days! Yeah, you sure showed them.
Yea... it was a south swell, with a hard NNW/NW wind, which means mostly rights, with the wind and current going against you on the takeoff, plus the dreaded "north wind bump" on the faces. Normally it's not a problem taking of late... sort of under the lip... but with that wind and current it would hang you up in the lip and not let gravity do it's magic. I was riding a board that was designed for well under head high, and it was still just overhead on set when I got out... and those were the ones you wanted, 'cause it was lining up and BARRELING. So the ones that I made the drop on, I was pretty much free falling with the lip, and landing at the base of the wave... and the board I was riding had a super wide nose and tail, with parallel rail line... not what you want, 'cause you kind of skip like a stone and/or catch rail. What would have helped is a board with more length, and much narrower, particularly in the nose and tail. The length helps you stroke in a little early, the narrow nose is great for paddling against the wind and current, and the narrow tail gives you control at the bottom and with all that chop on the face.
LBCrew I think I was south of you a little, and I too brought the wrong stick. I was expecting waist high and mushed from the wind, so I brought out a 7' thick 2+1 with a fat nose, and I paddled out into chest with some OH sets and big, steep and racy. Didn't feel like wasting 20 minutes to drive home and change boards. Actually fared ok, considering, but definitely got hammered a few times.
Ain't that the worst? I almost never go to the beach without both my small wave board and good wave board, but on Saturday my perpetual optimism waned and I said screw it, and just threw the bottom feeder in the car. Unexpected steep, punchy, barreling shoulder high surf with overhead sets, I was thinking stomach high and soft. For the most part, I was able to get the nose pointed a bit down the line mid-face on the drop in, but I pearled at the bottom of the waves and got crunched quite a bit. Lesson learned, pessimism punished.
the rocks was closed due to road work so i went to north wildwood and found disorganized head high waves on the sandbar and waimea-like chest high shorebreak that was almost impossible to get through. stayed there for a half hour and caught 1 wave. then i went to stockton ave in the crest and found much cleaner and more managable waves that had some sick barrels. it really looked good from the beach but i realized that the drift was really bad and i had to paddle back 2 blocks every 20 minutes. stayed for 2 hours and caught 4 waves. on wednesday i went to 6th st in north wildwood at high tide and it was only about waist high but really fun. waves were breaking in like knee deep water so it was really steep and hollow. you drop right into the barrel. after the tide changed the waves dropped off alot and i went in after 2 hours
Life is full of disappointments. School and an edjucation are no guarantee you'll make it, just a guarantee you'll miss waves. Find some rich chick and sponge off her parents and shred err day, all day brah!
that's exactly what I experienced up here in ME. Also, would average chest high, then all the sudden these massive head high/overhead sets would show up and would have to paddle out to not get trashed and by the time I'd get out I'd be way on the shoulder to go right (when I prefer to go left) and i'd blow the wave/set. it was very hard to get lined up right, but when i did, it was fantastic. just wish i'd had more, more consistent sets, and as you said, less off-shore so as to catch up better with the "little" waves between the monsters... tomorrow PM looks okay though, love this spring!
If I have time and check surf and its ride able but winds are supposed to go more offshore later, I go in immediately. I swear 9 out of 10 offshore forecasts for late in the day turn onshore in NJ. So if it looks fun, and im able, I just go, don't wait. If winds get better I stay till my shoulders are rubber. 4-8-14 I had a few good waves. But after an hour my leash ripped the tether string after punching through the back and my board ended up on the only rocks in the entire beach town I went out in. Board got thrashed. Ended my day.
This was definitely the experience I had in Newport! I thought it would go nice with the wind turning NW, but it was head high wicked closeouts. Got worked over and over!
