SURF does not SUCK

icebiker said:
For those of you that were into the earthbound form of surfing you might enjoy this short. It was dedicated to Hobie Alter. I was on the Pepsi team back then (late 70’s). There’s a picture of us on the upper left at 0:35. Other team pics are also featured around 2:30. Sims, Bones, Tunnel, Zephyr, Alva...all featured. Good times for sure.

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Just found this. That's awesome you were on Pepsi! To hear Hawk say he was influenced by you guys is pretty nuts! Lots of cool teams. I remember those Zorlac guys being out there but so rad. And the Alva team just tough. Great watch.

On a side note those Van's video series is a such a great look at the history of skateboarding. I loved the one with the Fathers and Sons. Salba and his son carving that backyard pool is roots! And Zach Miller talking about doing his dad's line at Combi haha!
 
Saturday in Monmouth County was fun, had to wait for it until later afternoon but a fun clean, glassy wave.
 
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pkovo said:
Surf was great yesterday..headhigh, with offshores compliments of that xmas storm.

Got myself a new wintersuit and yesterday was the first true test of its capabilities. I am absolutely blown away by the new technology. I was warmer in that silly wetsuit than I was layered up with hat and gloves on! Probably still some leftovers today.

Not my footage but pretty neat perspective from a drone

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Got a link/brand/model to the suit? I'm curious but hesitant on winter surfing.
 
Been a nice wave almost every day in the last couple weeks. Chunky but rideable today. 5 mil Rip Curl, newish boots and gloves and warm as toast. Go surf.
 
I found a 9' board for like new and good price but i let it get away :( picking timing didn't work out.
Is surfing in winter more preferable for some of you? beach crowd reasons or conditions are drastically different?
I know you are wearing wet suits but my sane mind will not be surfing in the winter. I'm just curious.
 
extremedave said:
Got a link/brand/model to the suit? I'm curious but hesitant on winter surfing.
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MMuller said:
Been a nice wave almost every day in the last couple weeks. Chunky but rideable today. 5 mil Rip Curl, newish boots and gloves and warm as toast. Go surf.
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@extremedave I'm in a Billabong 6/5/4 hooded. I think they call it the Carbon Furnace model. I have two friends wearing Oneal Psycho tech 5.5 mil suits and they rave about them. I have had good luck with Rip Curl and XCEL as well. I think all the majority of the name brand suits these days are probably pretty good, especially if you get a top tier suit.

You technically don't need a 6mil for NJ winters, 5mil is the norm, but I occasionally go North to RI or even ME and prefer to be toasty. I wear 7mm booties and 6mil mitten or lobster claw style gloves for winter.

In a winter-suit good sealed (welded) seams are top priority for me, as a leaky seam will ruin your day when the water is in the 40's. After that, a nice fuzzy lining of some sort, and super stretch neoprene.

@MMuller I haven't checked myself because I'm stuck working, but got a text saying there should be decent surf tomorrow and Wed.
 
THATmanMANNY said:
I found a 9' board for like new and good price but i let it get away :( picking timing didn't work out.
Is surfing in winter more preferable for some of you? beach crowd reasons or conditions are drastically different?
I know you are wearing wet suits but my sane mind will not be surfing in the winter. I'm just curious.
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Much more preferable. Limited crowds, no restrictions on where you can surf, and better waves. Better waves being the most important aspect.

With the exception of hurricane season, summer is usually pretty flat, whereas in the winter and really fall/early spring as well, we get storms that follow a more predictable pattern. The winds blow onshore for a couple of days building up a swell, the storm pulls out to sea, and then the winds switch offshore as they do cleaning up the surf.

Technically, Fall is probably my favorite time. crowds thin and water stays relatively warm for a while.
 
I expected this storm to push in some weak windswell. I thought maybe we would get lucky enough to see an occaisional chest high wave. I definitely didn’t expect the consistent head+ swell we got!

Long paddles and currents made it a bit challenging for me today, but managed to snag some memorable ones for sure. Got my first barrel of 2021!

BDDE7FF2-3898-4FC2-BC0C-FF59F0B979F9.jpegBC3B1509-7656-49EA-A7F6-017F6ED6D55D.jpeg6D8E4706-F26A-4B71-B2E0-92383AE3D5BD.jpeg8E701176-F135-45E3-97C5-93228B20F2E7.jpeg
 
Saturday and Sunday were absolutely awesome! Current on Sunday did suck. I just stood on a sandbar and paddled when a set was lining up. Saturday was great! Glad you @pkovo scored too!
My arms are noodles.
 
rustynuts said:
Saturday and Sunday were absolutely awesome! Current on Sunday did suck. I just stood on a sandbar and paddled when a set was lining up. Saturday was great! Glad you @pkovo scored too!
My arms are noodles.
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I didn't go Sunday. Wanted to, but I basically spent the whole day down there Sat so had to make up with family time Sunday. I went Saturday without really looking at it. I had gotten a text from a friend saying it was big, but I don't know I didn't really believe it. It was an 8 sec swell so I still had visions of something smaller and weak, like maybe waist to belly or something. I did not expect the head + sets I saw when I rolled up.

The spot I picked had a long paddle, and was annoying to get out to and over the sandbar. No channel, rip, or jetty to assist. I got out OK but a lot of people were getting stuffed and turning around. Once I got out, I ate shit a lot for a while. I was riding a 6'5" round tail which seemed like the perfect choice for the day, but I was missing a lot of waves, and finding myself late on takeoff on many of the ones I was getting.

Eventually out of frustration I switched to a 5'11" fishy type board with a pulled in round tail. Not a board I would expect to work in these conditions, but man it went great. Turned my session around completely.

I was kind of perplexed at how my boards weren't working as expected, then I remembered the nearly 15 freaking lbs I've put on this year and it kind of made sense. The fish has the volume I need in my current state. In the past on bigger waves, I couldn't sink the tail and would spin out, now that I'm heavier, I can sink the tail just fine.

Anyway, it sure was an unexpected fun swell. Glad you scored as well. I went down expecting to make the most of a small swell, and ended up getting some really solid rides. That is always a welcome surprise!
 
Super random, but do you drive a Tacoma? I know there was so many people out, but with what you described I think I might of chatted with you before my afternoon session on Saturday.
 
This is the longest flat spell we’ve had in a while. Let’s see what the storm brings next week, but not sure the wind is right direction?
 
Saturday around Sandy Hook was a bit closed out, fun and always worth it to get wet but your picture of that lineup looks much better.
 
rustynuts said:
Saturday around Sandy Hook was a bit closed out, fun and always worth it to get wet but your picture of that lineup looks much better.
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Pic is from Avon, but I ended up surfing in Belmar which was fun. From the beach it looked really small and weak, but ended up a bit bigger and pushier than it looked. Did a second session in Deal which was really crowded as it always seems to be, but fun. And for whatever reason only about 1/3 of the crowd over there seemed to actually be surfing.

This upcoming Sat morning looks like it has potential.
 
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