Oh ya, frisco outer bar is intense. Its always so scary cause usually there is no one out when its that big. By far my worst paddle out was at duck pier when it was probably about 10 foot and heaving. The waves were so big they some were just cloudbreaking and washing through. Every wave was a massive barrel, but the paddle back to the lineup was hell. Also one time it was so big in VB that I paddled out in rudee inlet.
Frisco Pier I have never surfed it when its big, but i have seen those pictures of it breaking wayyy outside. No thanks.
distance and difficulty are two totally different things - ocmd rarely ever has a long paddle compared to many other places but when it has any size it can be one of the hardest. I've been surfing oc and assateague for twenty years and ridden both in just about any condition we ever get, for both spots timing and picking your spot to paddle make all the difference in the world You can almost always find a decent channel to get out at assateague I've been out as big as it gets and is still rideable and it's still a relatively easy paddle. That means try the same size/wind/swell direction elsewhere and it'll be way harder in comparison.
While paddling out at a beachbreak can be tough, reef breaks are much worse. There are a couple places here in Montauk where the bottom is rock reef, and when the tide is low enough and the water begins to recede you hear this weird growl. There's a field of rocks you have to navigate to paddle out, and if you don't time it right you get smashed and swirled around the rocks. And when its double overhead in early February, and you're wearing a 5 or 6 mil, booties gloves and hood, and duck diving is a bit harder, the pressure is really on not to get crushed. Those are the hardest paddles. As for longest, whether there's a current is a major factor. I hate when you paddle out through three layers of whitewater, only to find that you're a couple hundred yards further down from where you want to be. And after 15 minutes of fighting, you don't want to battle the current back to the peak. But its almost always worth it.
ocean city, md can be a tough paddle when there's size. Not so much in the summer, but when you are wearing 5mm, then ya, its a whole different story. Its all about getting past the sandbar. When there is any size, there is generally a decent current in ocean city. Once you get past the bar, then current is generally a lot easier to deal with.
Truth be told The paddle is all a part of the whole. It not only gets you in shape, it keeps you in shape, and don't you guys all use leashes anyway? Wow, what's this world coming to? That's why EVERYBODY goes to THE spot in mid-town because it's the shortest paddle around along with the Inlet. Suck it up- paddle, it won't kill ya.
never know how seriously to take you but I've found that uptown is an easier paddle-out at size than THE spot, since you usually dont have that trough/bar to get across up there.
haha i agree i don't mind a good paddle... but id say 3/4 of the time my leash does nothing to help me out... especially on the east coast, it doesn't really get SO big that i cant get underneath the sets.
only had short paddles back home in oc md. if anyone has travelled to san diego, there is a chain of reefs called sunset cliffs. I live by there now. in winter, most head high days involve a very easy, dry haired paddle about 1/4 mile offshore. they r usually easy, some take 15 minutes on a big day. there is a spot there called indicator. it is a monster 3rd reef that break on a direct west tripple overhead groundswell. I've been out almost 1/2 mile it felt like. takes 20 minuts to paddle in even linking together small inside sets. its usually an easy paddle up a channel, but it takes forever!
assateague is def a hard paddle... lots of rips there and the waves in the sets usually come quick to it keeps washing ya back.
Before I had a boat we would paddle from our island (inhabited) to another island (uninhabited), (not to mention the crazy currents running in between) just to get to the waves, and then have to paddle out like normal beach breaks. All in all it would be 30 mins plus (on a bad day even more) of straight paddling before being able to catch anything...but its almost always worth it, moral of the story is buy a boat if you live in nc.
places with an easy paddle out are always more crowded then harder ones, so i always tend to go for the hardest paddles.
only problem if you paddle around the jetty there you have to keep paddling past that main break because its always crowded with longboarders so it takes just as long
Loch Arbor definately has a tough and long paddle out when it is big. The hardest I've had was during a hurricane in Daytona (late 80's). The longest by far was Oahu. Ton's of reef breaks to stop an surf at along the way, but the further out you got the bigger it was. I remember paddling out near Diamond Head what felt like a mile. When I stopped at a good spot I looked out and saw 5+ specks further out surfing a larger break.
Paddle out to Tres Palmas, Caballo's or Sunset Point and you know you've had a long paddle. On the other hand, short period large swell at Ocean City, or any of these East Coast sandbar reefs, is ball breaking.
