Top 3 Hurricane Swells ever

The one that is yet to arrive.

 

Maybe one day one of y'all will be good enough to have Morgan Maassen filming
http://vimeo.com/98306475
esp 2:40 ...

 

or it might have.
though extra tropical THE PERFECT STORM (yes, that one aka halloween swell 1991) was the one by which
all others will be measured. OCNJ solid 10ft sets and rideable.

2nd place) NORIDA - another extra-tropical entity that sent an entire day of swell with ACNJ never ever better.

 

Felix, 8/95. it just sat there pumping surf to LI.
that whole Summer was pretty epic on long island. unless it was chest high or better people did not even bother paddling out...

 

ohh man

+1 felix

 

Summer of 95 featured five or six solid tropical swells that lit up the east coast. If you weren't around that year it would be hard to even relate how good it was. As mentioned above, Felix was out there sending us a pulse for almost two weeks.

Map of 1995
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_A...995_Atlantic_hurricane_season_summary_map.png

Notice how a couple of storms looped back on themselves that year. Nothing like it in my 32 years of surfing.

 

The best surf I have ever had the pleasure of riding was at Holden Beach, NC during Hurricane Sandy. I was with good ol' Trevolution, who is currently fighting fires out in Washington i.e. FEMA youth (thought you all might wanna know his whereabouts). I am sure at least one of the members on this forums had seen it or at least been out.

Holden beach itself wasn't the gem, it was the inlet, about a quarter mile out. The swell direction was so perfect. The sandbar extending from the inlet outward toward the east brought in head high reeling left barrels. It looked like skeleton bay. Anyone else get to enjoy like I did that day?

 

only in photos my man, only in photos...i wish there was more documentation of that swell.

 

I was going to say Holden for Earl a few years back. Same type of thing at the inlet, 1ft overhead reeling lefts. Did not get there for Sandy so I can't compare the two but I have heard Sandy was awesome.

 

Tropical timeline of the 1995 season.

 

I was too young to realize at the time how special that summer actually was... Luis was the special one for me.

 

Lots of the ones already mentioned. I'll add the combo swell from Cindy and Dennis, 1999. This swell lasted over a week peaked at well overhead for a couple of the days.

 

95 it became surreal. The NYC park and police actually gave up enforcing a no surf zone. It was scorching heat , the beaches were mobbed and a full on cane swell for nearly 2 weeks . I remember 1 went stationary for days with a hint of n winds in 100 degree heat that was absolutely off the richter scale.

 

Waaaay too many to remember / list, we seem to get a little from every one of em but the one that sticks out in my mind as one of the biggest I've seen in person is Hurricane Bill. My first ever in memory was Floyd, he was a beast too.

 

My favorite, Hurricane Agnes June 1972, skirted OBX, last minute left turn up the Chesapeake Bay. When the rain stopped strolled up to the beach @ 76th St in OC MD, shocked how flat the Ocean was for the 6' to maybe 8' A frames rolling in against heavy wrap around NW winds blowing them up so so hollow. The spray was so intense had to close your eyes on the drops, The only picture I ever seen of that day hangs in Malibu's Surf Shop.

 

Hurricane Bill was real good in NJ. Cat 3 which passed between Bermuda and EC, the best track for Hurricanes.
Got about 2.5 days of clean offshore conditions as well.
I think Hurricane Sandy is about as good as Florida has ever been.

 

I forgot about Cindy. She was particularly nasty at my old stomping grounds. Gave 2 of my friends stitches and me a hilarious memory of my buddy surfing with a modified yellow dishwashing glove duck taped to his arm to keep his stitches dry.

One of my best in somewhat recnt memory was Hurricane Hannah ('08). It made landfall down south, and literally hugged the coast. Not the typical hurricane path, and a quick hit, but some of the best all around form from a hurricane swell that i remember. It had extreme South angle, so powerful without the closeouts. Somewhere I have a picture of it. Picture perfect waves a few feet overhead.

 

True that, I was in PR when Sandy rolled through, got some early juice down there and was getting pics sent to me from a friend in Jax when it was going off back home. I missed that one, but had just as much fun down in PR, without all that goes along with dealing with a hurricane.

 

Summer of 95 would be #1.

Can't remember if Bertha was that year but Bertha mud 90's No. Mon. Co. NJ. Only lasted bout 6 hours but man was it F'n good.

#3 hurricane Bill. A spot in Maine that I won't name. Overhead barreling and peeling for 100's of yards. Longest wave I've ever surfed in the USA.