Last 5 years I haven't had the option to surf in the winter due to being up in Bumble****, NY for school. First thing I do when I get home is throw on the wetsuit and head to the ocean. Now that school is done forever (THANK GOD), the ocean will be my home in the winter. BTW, anyone head out today? It was crankin'
If it's a problem, one remedy is DP. Conditions and schedule permitting, get there and outta there early.
I guess boogie boarding does really have it's perks in the summer season. Free reign of 178 out of 180 beach blocks in OC MD. Freaking Avalanche from 11-6, 7 days per week in the summer in OB out west. Used to grind my gears to watch a sick South Swell going off at 6ft+ with no one on it, meanwhile there are 725 people at the pier and about 430 at the jetty.... hurt my feelings. There wasn't a big sponge community out there at all, so it was mostly tourists and stuff on the sponges, so when the surf go good, there weren't any talented body boarders to charge it, all the black ball spots would be empty. heartbreaking.
Yup, I should pull up last years thread, where I give my annual anti-summer-whining speech.... As said before, we have no issues down here with summer influx. When there is swell, there are ZERO tousitas on rented boards at the surf spots, which is great, however if you live in other places down here in the SE that are COMPLETELY tide dependent, that DP thing just doesn't work. The algorythm is simple down here, even during a huge swell like Sandy, you have to get on it about 2.5 hours before high tide... the tide push give the most power, there is still some size right at high tide, but about an hour after it drops back down, the swell just vanishes... Sandy went from about 6ft at its peak in the morning, and 1 hour after high tide, I rode in on an ankle slapper, which was the first wave that came in about 15 minutes. The offshores were cranking that day too which didnt help.... So in S NC, SC and GA especially, if you are at a blackballed area, you can't just go in the AM unless the tide lines up...
Disclaimer: I have spend almost my entire life with my home break being some of the most crowded summer spots both on the east coast and the west coast (OB, San Diego and OC Maryland)... OB is a VERY SMALL stretch of beach with incredible waves. They black ball half of it all summer (Cage and Avalanche), leaving 300 guys on the pier and 200 guys on the jetty... no lie... and you all know the deal in OC... They give you what, 2 blocks out of 180 every day and the inlet... So, for instance, in July, with any kind of swell, I have surfed on or around 48th street, with about 200 yards of space and 60 people, 3 of which could surf and the other 57 are tourists flopping around and getting in the way. My "start of summer soap box speech" (directed at no one in particular): If you find yourself all bent out of shape, because you surf all summer and you are surrounded by "kooks" and there are 50 people clogging your spot and you are surrounded by foam boards and buoys, then I must say, you might want to re-evaluate what the term "kook" means... Because if you are at 48th street at noon, in July and you are complaining, I must say, why the fu** would a true local be in that situation anyway? YOU KNOW BETTER. What, you thought that you were going to magically show up there and have it to yourself? Come one now. That's like hitting Pipeline when its a medium sized swell in the winter. What, you thought there WERENT going to be 150 guys out? There are ways around that situation EVERYWHERE... I surfed incredible summer swells every summer in San Diego at spots where there were just a hand full of locals on it. You have to know where to go. and when. Period. If the swell is running, YOU DON'T GO TO THE PIER AT NOON! And anyone who has spent more than 5 minutes surfing in Southern CA know that EVERYDAY in the summer, the wind gets on it around 10am, right when the crowds show up and they start blackballing. Funny how that works isn't it. Its like god knows that the tourists are coming and he graces the locals EVERY morning with clean conditions. By the time the crowds show up, the surf conditions worsen anyway. If you must surf the pier, you better crack it and be out there at 6:30am. Cause it will be you and 5 other locals every time, maybe 10 total guys. Otherwise, I would drive a few minutes a go to a basically empty spot. I can't tell you how many times I have surfed spots on Sunset Cliffs in the middle of summer, ALONE! during a good swell. Meanwhile, there are 400 people up at the beach breaks. less than a mile away. You think some kids from Arizona are going to walk down a cement boat ramp and walk across 50 yards of slick reef and surf a spot with boulders all over the bottom? There were 80 miles of beach there and if you are "local", you know the drill. Same with Ocean City... No reefy spots to keep the tourists away. But. Yes, sometimes there are factors, where the swell peaks mid day or something, which sucks, but take it with a grain of salt. If there is any kind of reasonable swell, crack it in the morning. My M.O. was the same there every summer up in delvmarva, get out early, surf all morning and at about 10:10am, when the guards flag you in after you pretend to not see them for 15 minutes and just stare out to sea, you pack up and you leave. And you come back in the evening and take your pick of 180 blocks of surf ALONE if you want. It's pretty simple really. Sure, there will be a hand full of times where you just feel the need to charge it in the middle of the day. THATS ON YOU. You all, we all, know the deal. Don't be mad at the world. If you are local, YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER! If you are surrounded by kooks and tourists all summer when you surf, re-evaluate your local knowledge and your general preparation for surfing. Maybe you aren't the "winter warrior" that you think you are. Most of the summer is flat any damn way. Cause the "Angry local" at the OB pier, paddling around screaming all afternoon, trying to give visitors "lessons" about how they shouldn't have dropped in and all this BS, I just think, dude, every time it good, and we are all out early, having a blast, I never see you. Matter of fact, I don't recall seeing you all winter when it was big, but now that its 3 feet, blown out and trunkable, you are Johnny local? Mr. Regulators Mount up and sh**? But whenever I feel the need for a mid-day, mid summer surf, thats when I see you, out being agro, yelling at tourists... THAT IS A KOOK. Cause when its firing at 300 different spots as the sun is just rising, that loser is still in bed, no where to be found. Don't be that guy please. You all know better. It's okay to be bitter, but don't take it too far. Without all these "kooks", you wouldn't have a community to live in most likely. You wouldn't have tasty taco shops, or your favorite bar or probably even a local surf shop for that matter, because if these "kooks" weren't here buying $70.00 reef sandals with bottle openers on them, and $40.00 quiksilver tees all summer, and renting foam tops, there wouldn't even be a place for you to buy wax in the fall. So if you hate everything and everyone so much, move somewhere else. Just let your local economy get it's influx on, so people and local business can survive the winter. You will get your spots back. Just enjoy the warm weather and warm water, it's not around that often up north, so relax. Deep down, none of you like 6 mils and you know it. You just like to have your choice of surf etc. Summer is a time to hang out at the beach, get some sun, go for a swim in your trunks and enjoy shedding rubber, and if god willing, a little swell shows up, don't be retarded. Map it out. Crack the swell. You should be exhausted by the time the lifeguards even show up. Ya heard? I'm done now. I probably state this more eloquently in previous years, but I think ya'll get my drift.
