Surfing; Weather and some fear

Don't worry about sharks bro. I have surfed numerous, numerous times right through dusk and even into night (literally surfing by the light of the moon) with no probs. Don't let your mind get the better of you.

Rain is a non issue as is snow. It actaully can make it glass off nicely if the wind calms down (mostly summer showers).

I've surfed in straight up lightning storms which were pretty sketchy looking back but hey, I'm not worried about dying so I had to catch some tubes.

 

this guy can't be serious...total mole.

 

Surfing in the rain sucks.... you get all wet.

(sorry, old bad joke) As wally said, it can actually glass things off nicely. I tend to get out when I see lightning.

Sharks, I will get out if I see a big shark in the lineup, but that's happened maybe twice in over 35 years of surfing the east coast. (Oh crap, I'm getting old!)

Foodchain info: if you see sardines, or other baitfish jumping, that's not a big deal, as there's just something bigger (like a bluefish or a weakfish) trying to eat them. If a whole school of larger fish comes in and starts feeding on the baitfish, you can usually see this because there's a whole bunch of seagulls hovering over the activity, feeding on the scraps. This should be avoided because sharks will often join in the fun. If a bunch of bluefish jump out of the water (like the sardines you saw) you can be pretty sure there's a grey suit trying to snack on them.

 

Dude just so you know, there's a search bar on the top right of the page. Just type in what you want to know and it will dig up old threads about it. No need to waste space with a new thread when there's plenty of others on the same subject.

 

gruvi is a fake

 

Agreed! Stop feeding it before it gets out of control.

 

Once in Avalon, back in the 80s, when 13th (or was it 11th?) street was THE break, there were some pilings that usually had a really nice peak. I was sitting outside and I saw a dorsal and tail fin that were at least 6' apart, cruising 20-30 yards away from me. I'm no shark week expert, so I can't tell you what kind it was, but it was definitely big enough (probably 9-10 feet) to do some damage. I caught the next wave in.

The other time was at Cape Hatteras, back when the Lighthouse was still on the beach. I didn't see sharks, but my brother and I pulled up to the parking lot, we had driven down to catch some good hurricane surf, the lineup was empty, and the waves were big and clean. We didn't think much of it, and paddled out. In between catching a few waves, we saw multiple bluefish jumping clear out of the water. We got out, and on our way to the car, a guy said "were you guys just out there?" We said yes, he said "oh man, there was a school of about 50 hammerheads out there in the lineup about a half hour ago."

You shouldn't worry about sharks, but if you see a big one, or a big fish jumping, you should get out. Also if a school of blues is feeding nearby, you should get out. Here's what a bluefish can do to you: (not my foot/pic, found it with google)

 

Your the Best Wally!!!! the best!!!! When are you local so we can surf??? sat am- looks like longboard waves!!!

 

No longboards bro!!! I thought we were going offshore with Capt Jim on Saturday for some tuna?? Sunday after church should be rippable! I'm working from home today and tomorrow. Just went down there and there's nothing today. We gotta catch up! Back to MD Monday morning.

 

Yes bro!!! Tuna with the Capt!!! Although I have not heard anything about the tuna yet.... We gotta surf bro!

 

13th st used to have the pipe

 

Thanks, I guess my old brain remembers things right some of the time. I knew that break was special when I started seeing George from Surfers Supplies out in the lineup. RIP George.

 

What song did you hum, gruvi? Some songs are more effective than others in warding off sharks. Some of the older more hard core guys on the board might have some insight into what songs are best. Singing prog rock hits in a Geddy Lee like falsetto has often worked for me.

 

yeah, ask the best surfers you see which songs they hum to ward off the sardines. they'll definitely help you out. you should probably ask them if they're trying to meet at the local gay bar as well

 

Geddy falsetto def works, but what ever you do gruvi, never hum "Barracuda" in florida, and never ever a Great White song especially "once bitten, twice shy"