We all know every beach has its obvious and overcrowded breaks. Then there are the more secret spots and the spots that only work in certain conditions. I'm wondering if spots ever get so overcrowded that they eventually go back to being chill. I'm thinking its not possible though because with every generation of newbs, comes more people to bloat those breaks. Anyone ever witnessed any crowded spots do a 180?
I've seen it a few times. usually the break changes through replenishment or nature so it goes to crap and people just leave. what typically happens is some locals keep a watchful eye on the spot and in a year or 2 it begins to come back. They have it to themselves for a bit and then the hordes return.
I have noticed Windansea ebb and flow over the years. Magazine spreads on a spot will also devastate it with crowds -- some of those spots return to their better days and some don't -- seems like too many of them don't.
Yeah I guess changing breaks would affect things. The place that made me think of this thread has been exploited for years though.
Sandy Hook NJ comes to mind, but in my day it rarely got crowded by todays standards. It was a great spot that was a bit out of the way for most when they could bypass it, go further south and be guarranteed a better wave. There were days of chest high and bigger surf breaking at all the jetties and no one would be out. Then there were days of waist high crap and everyone would be there. The ebb for Sandy Hook was a direct result of the pumping which covered and ruined several of the east coasts best breaks. Even the cove is a joke copared to the past. Not sure if this counts since it wasn't the extreme crowds that caused people to look elsewhere it was the complete annihilation of the break.
it will reach a saturation point thats for sure. the last good swell at poverty i was down and there were quite a few guys passing on a session due to crowds.
I remember when The Cove at it highest point on a good Nor eastern you would seen 30 plus guys fighting for postion off the rock pile. Seen alot of guys get worked there too . Now it very rare to seen it Pump like it use too. There is a Spot in OCNJ I got to that is good very often but never really has a huge crowd maybe 10-15 guys at the most but spread out. Local knowledge is key to knowing where to go
I think older guys will drop out because of crowds. I am kinda known as an anti crowd person by everyone around here. I will walk a half mile down the beach to find a crappy wave to myself rather than surf with a crowd of people all bent on showing each other up. Before I started shaping I was getting pretty fed up and would skip sessions or cut sessions short because of the crazy crowds, I could see myself just stopping some day because of it, but after 35 years or so it is a hard habit to break.
Yeah there are quite a few spots in that area that have been relatively empty all winter. I am not sure why, but I am not complaining or even gonna ask. The ebb-flow will soon enough go back the other way =(
has the poor economy the past 18 months affected any of your locals breaks? I guess locig would point to less money in people's pockets mean less trips to the coast, which means less crowds in the water?
not so much. De beaches have gotten more crowded. Shops and food places will be empty but beach is full. We are clase to philly, balt., and dc so we are getting alot of people coming here by driving in stead of flying for vacation. Number of surfers has also gone up alot.
Yeah Buddy, I couldn't agree more. Some days in mid summer I've drove around to a half dozen or more breaks to find one thats sane. I have a few secret spots that are good in certain conditions that are not well used. Problem is once the life guards are on duty things get tight. I will sacrifice the quality of the wave to get away from the crowds.
totally. There is a spot in Monmouth Cty that 5 years ago there were 100 + people out during a decent summer day. Then certain things happened, some manmade, and some natural, and the place just stopped working. Past year or so its been back to form and the most thats been there when I've been - on a chest-high summer day - is maybe 20 people. I'm sure it'll creep back up, in fact people have been gossiping about it, just overheard a couple people at a local shop talking about how good its been "lately"
Got in the car today and decided to drive over an hour to get to a spot that I knew would be firing. Got there, and there were about 15 guys in the water. Good surf, but not THAT good that I needed to jump in with the crowd. Got back in the car and went up the road, to a spot that a guy showed me a few years ago. Perfect lefthanders, one after another, peeling for 200 to 300 yards. I stepped in s$#t for sure. Nobody out. Surfed for about an hour and left. Nobody even came down to check it the whole time I was out.
wish i got some today. looked real fun. lb hasn't been working that great on these ENE swells though probably gonna drive a bit south for the weekend..
I have to say the Poor Economy hasnt affected People for visting the shore last summer. Wildwood is one of the only non beach tag beaches left. Resturants, boardwalk , and other attractions were took a hit this year but the Beach was packed. Somedays if you didnt get there early have fun finding a spot to put your stuff . Wildwood and the Crest are always crowded in the summer but I think is was more this year.
Yea... the combination of generally East swell and generally North wind is rough here in Mon Co. No choice but to throw the gear in the car at hit the road. It's either that, or just decide to spend the day pulling into closeouts just for the view. West wind and East swell... you can find a few spots without driving too far, but North wind's a buzz kill.
