There really is nothing like the feeling. I'm sure all surfers around the world feel it when there's an impending major swell, but maybe, just maybe it's magnified for us here on the east coast where the swell events are less frequent and so short-lived. Whatever it is, it's something magical, something unique, something special. It's a feeling that is born of pure passion and pure love of what we do, rolled into an emotional ball of intense anticipation.
This is the first in a series that taps into the collective knowledge base of the members of the NYNJSurf.com community, and are the result of questions and answers as originally posted in the forums.
I'm definitely ready to start pumping my board so i can actually make it around sections and i've tried it a little but it doesn't feel right. i've been watching other people and i can't quite figure out what they're doing. do you weight and unweight your front foot? how? or i've also been told its a kind of side to side thing. Help!
OK, here is the deal. It is actually so well etched in my mind I only needed to think about (and feel) the day and it all started filling in pretty well. So sit back brothers and sisters we are going surf tripping to SoCal…
by jonathan, as originally published on NYNJSurf.com, September 7, 2006
Under cover of night I moved quickly out my front door and away from the street lights. I wait for the cars to clear, cross the road, up over the boardwalk and quickly down the steps into the welcoming sand. A perfect orb of silver shone down and reflected on the thigh high peelers that the oncoming low tide was revealing.
by Joe McGowan - Originally published on The Surf Info Page at joemac.net, May 18, 2003
Yesterday I looked at boys and saw men. Before I get started on that, let me first apologize to all of the competitors in the ESA Northeast Regional Championships just concluding at Long Beach Island, New Jersey-I only watched 3 heats of the whole thing. Although it's a local event for me, I couldn't be there on Friday (work), 3 heats time was all we could stand in that fearsome wind and cold on the beach on Saturday, and here I sit on the Sunday of the event.
By blueberry, as originally published on NYNJSurf.com, May 19, 2006
As I was putting on my wetsuit in the dark this morning, I could hear the driving rain outside. I didn't even want to look at the ocean. I needed to go. I needed to get wet at any sleepless cost.
I walked out the door and noticed the flooded sidewalks. I still can't see the full ocean from the board walk because its so dark. It doesn't matter I'm gonna get wet, I'm gonna ride a few, I'm gonna paddle.
It was around thanksgiving prolly about 7-8 yrs ago and I flew out to visit my old man in central cali. He was tied up at work this one day and i had brought a board. It was a 6'8" byrne supa narrow rounded pin, very fast, not a lotta float tho. anyways, the trip coincided with a real big NW winter type swell that was hitting real big further up the coast (ie. mavs, etal.), but i figured that down where i was it would be rideable. Packed up and headed to the regular spots, but they were totally closed out with nobody making it out. I don't know what possessed me, but i was on a mission and determined to surf this swell. I had an idea that i'd hatched many years ago, and this was the time to try it.
