The Reading Room on NYNJSurf.com

by little_nasty, as published on NYNJSurf.com September 26, 2006

Using a ranking scale of 1 to 6+, where 1 is flat or marginal surf and anything 6+ is epic, here’s a composite look at how the months compare by looking at the percentage of days in each ranking. Data is compiled from retrospective analysis, 1996-2005.

For a full size view, click here.

by jonathan, as originally published in “Stories of Stoke” 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. (more…)

by blueberry, as originally published in “Stories of Stoke” 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. (more…)

by looseness, as originally published in “Stories of Stoke” on NYNJSurf.com, September 6, 2006

Some years back I lived on a small Caribbean island that got some excellent surf in the Fall through Spring. It was a good time, living with two friends {Clark and Timmy} and two dogs in an old house on the North side with Mango trees in the yard and a view of the Atlantic and BVI from the porch. One of the dogs, Malu, was an adopted stray that wandered up our driveway one day. She looked like a dog that belonged to a friend of ours, so we took care of her for a bit until we found out she wasn’t our friend’s dog, she just looked like her {the dog}. We kept Malu and gave her that name since Clark had read Pau Malu, a cheesy surf novel and learned that Malu meant surprise in Hawaiian {at least that’s what the novel said}. (more…)

by HydroGlide, as originally published in “Stories of Stoke” on NYNJSurf.com, September 12, 2006

I found where Ernesto put some of the sand he took this morning. Surprised that I could see my breath in the dark as I left the house but the change was welcome after a yesterday spent remembering things I would prefer to forget. Hit the beach and stretched the old joints and ligaments in the mindless, repetitive, zen-zombieish manner I always do while trying to wake up before going out, especially when its still dark enough to make the water look like espresso and keep me from seeing exactly how all that white foam is getting whipped up. (more…)

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.

Pumping
by Happy (now Jammycast), as published in the NYNJSurf.com forums September 16, 2005

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! (more…)

I’m sure the impending swell will bring new tales of big surf, hold-downs, beatdowns and broken boards..will any compare to this?

Worst Wipeout
by little_nasty, as published in “Stories of Stoke” on NYNJSurf.com August 10, 2006

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.  Umm. 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. (more…)

On the cusp of a new swell heading our way from TS Florence, it feels appropriate to reprint this magnificnet piece which NYHC_Boarder first showed me some days back, and more recently was posted elsewhere on NYNJSurf.com by little_nasty.