who here has been surfing this week?

Nice 12 sec well OH swell, all the points were firing today.

 

Consistent head high sets after work yesterday. Found a spot that was firing with only two guys out and got in a great session. One beautiful, coke bottle barrel was the highlight of the day for me, but a couple of blown waves toward the end of the session got in my head... stepped on the toe of my boot on two consecutive waves, and I had to make a conscious effort to avoid doing it again. I hate to think when I'm surfing...

 

Surfed a 20s swell the other day in the Pt. Conception area. Holy fock. That's only the third time I've ever been in 20+ seconds, but this is the first time I have been at a level where I am making the drops on most such waves I get into. Had a couple rides where I must not have paddled too far down the face and stomped my way in it with the front foot, which kind of slowed the takeoff where I'd be so close to the foam ball it felt like I was in a floater. But damn, that power pocket sent me 150-200yd in what felt like just a few seconds. Like it burped or boiled on the face and that projected me much delayed after initial takeoff. It was about a 290 degree swell hitting points so there was a train behind it.

Then I hit the same swell the next day when it was on it's way out and I had to battle a bunch of SUPs and loggers when I was on a 5-10' killin it to get in rides. Water was 60F that day and it was fun as hell so "no ragrets".

Anyone ever feel like their surfing changes in terms of style? It's like I'm way better at some things now that I could never think of in the first year or two but I don't do enough of certain other things like getting in a higher line early. I like fun drops with a big bottom turn but schitt, I don't ride much more than 30-32L now at 190-200lb so that's probably not the best plan of attack on takeoff to get longer rides.

LBCrew - yet another classic post from you. Letting the mind go on auto-pilot is way more enjoyable. I've listened to the "just go surf" contingency to a much larger extent as I enter my fourth year but I'm still analytical with objectives from time to time. And damn dude, you're so humble. You probably ripped like carraaahhayyzzeeee but are acting like it was just an average performance.

Oh, and sic term coke bottle barrel. Is that like a wahine with coke bottle waist like Ghost Face Killa rapped about on his first solo album?

 

Hahaha! Not exactly!

20+ second swell is sick. Yesterday was about 11 or 12 her in NJ, and that's a blessing. Most swells are under 10.

 

emass, what does a 20 second swell feel like when you take off on it. Think the longest period ive ever surfed is 16 seconds and that has a ton of power and super ledgy down in the outer banks. I bet the points over there love that energy

 

yea yesterday was pretty damn good in NJ. You could feel the medium periods. Emass you ride 30-32 and you weigh 200 lbs? You need to seriously consider getting up near 38 to 40 especially with a wetsuit. I am almost 200 and I only feel comfortable on 38cl with heavy wetsuit.

 

I had this happen to me a few times one winter when we had a bunch of north swells. I drove me crazy for exactly what you said....either stubbing your toe, or thinking about stubbing your toe is the last thing you want to be dealing with when your about to get to your feet on a steep cold drop. I abandoned 7mm round toe boots over this BS and went to wearing 5mm split toes. It seems to happen to me mostly on waves dropping in frontside.

 

Exactly...

 

Is this pic of Mike Gleason legit from Tuesday afternoon? I knew it was probably big but that is some serious size.

 

Gleason's only 4'6, I'd call that wave a solid 6'

 

lol. What would you call it, at least double overhead.

 

22.5', not quite belmar

 

id call a chiropractor after that one

 

It's just weird and different. The vets on here (way more skilled than I) have commented the same in the past. On this day, it was nearly a pure west swell with no secondary getting in the way. The other two times I was in up to 23s was at Lowers and then Salt Creek. The sneaker sets, oh man. Scratch city.

It's hard for me to compare this one to those other two since my experience and familiarity with surfing has come a lot further since then. I just felt like this latest swell had so much power in it, yet delayed on really projecting you til later in the drop and then the steepness of the wave was really apparent as I was already in. But that was kinda good! Only issue I had was that the speed of propulsion when the wave did burp was putting me so far ahead of the pocket almost out in the flats and I'm still working on getting back more vertical when taking a backhand ride. Basically, that I need to start making true S-turns and haven't ever focused on doing that yet.

But damn bro, it was fast, fast, fast riding those and another thing that I benefitted from was that I had to stay damn low to the board almost grabbing rail but not. Overall, I need to get low on takeoffs more consistently and lower while maneuvering to use the full body.

Glassy and 20s period, no complaints or ragrets!

Too clunky for me bruh. I just want to hack and shove the schitt out of that tail and feel the air swerve under my front foot when I lift it on pumps down the line going pa pa pa pa pa. Ahmeen, it's not like I'm having a ton of fun on a 38-40L with the right dims but it's not my wheelhouse. I'm in a 3/2, 2/2 SS fullsuit or just baggies now in 60F water aside from when I go up to the Bay and then it's 4/3 at most. Note that I'm more around 185 most of the time. It's just been busy with the move and wahine's cooking is dayyummmm gooood!

 

Was able to get out with the longboard at lunchtime today. It had been since last week.
Waist high at best. Sunny, air 39, water temp a few degrees warmer. Hopefully tomorrow AM and Sunday as well.
Have only been getting out once or twice a week this winter due to taking care of the old folks.

 

My favorite kind of wave today. A hard breaking, head high wave... sucking water up the face, cracking on the outside bar. Little double ups that spit like they're pretending to be big waves.

Brown water and cold sting reminding you that you're at our local.

A good day to be a surfer in New Jersey...

 

Paddled out the other day. 1st street Ocean City. Shoulder high glassy. Long period ground swell. Really good. Only a few people out. Bearded 30 something hipster paddles out on a longboard and proceeds to make a complete **** of himself paddling into every set from way outside scratching and clawing for 20 yards before getting to his feet while 5 others sat waiting patiently for their turn. By the time the next set would come he'd be out the back to do it again. A little later a hipster chick showed up and started pulling the same sheet. Probably the most frustrating session I've had in years. God I hate hipsters and wavehogging longboarders.

 

Were they just clueless, or do you think it was a hopeless sense of entitlement

 

great day at nantasket! 3-4' 45 degrees out! water 37* hour and half out there! great way to start Sunday! shoulders are done✌️

 

Opened up the bedroom window early this morning and could still hear the surf. Went and checked it at my local, mug of coffee in hand... lots of little belly high peelers breaking all over, with some really beautiful, glassy-green A-frames on the sets. A lot less punch than yesterday, but the same kind of setup, and better water quality compared to yesterdays murky, brown keggers.

Just me and about 10 or 15 long-tailed ducks for the first hour... maybe more... all of us popping up and down, bobbing and paddling in and among the shifting peaks. The sets were not as frequent as I would have liked, but they came with enough regularity that the paddle-outs were easy and gave you time to pick off a few smaller ones in between. The rides were short... a fun-sized drop, a bottom turn into the pocket, a cutback out on the shoulder.... some opened up for an open face turn, but most didn't.

Then a young dude on a funshape paddles out RIGHT next to me. Nobody for more than a mile to my south, and one guy out at the next beach to my north. Within minutes four of his buddies roll up and joined the party. I surfed my way down to the next peak and tried to ignore the crowd. Fortunately, it was just as good... but I couldn't help but keep thinking... why?