Holiday Swell

All I really wanted for Christmas was swell, and the swell gods delivered with two fun days of chest to head plus, clean swell.  This swell was hollow!!  I mean Ocean City was temporarily renamed Barrel City...  I got more barrels then red, hanging monkeys... I was shacked more times then Britney Spears during a mental breakdown... Okay enough with analogies...  okay one more...  It was so hollow I could here the ocean... (Okay, I ran out).

 Sunday at South OC.

Ocean City didn't have a white Christmas, but OC did have a rainy Christmas and a rainy day after.  Thanks to this cold front we were once again blessed with swell.  Sunday was fun with head plus waves and clean conditions.  Monday, if you were lucky enough to have off Boxing Day, was chest to head occasional plus at certain breaks.

Sunday

Sunday morning in Ocean City was a fun day around low tide, which supported clean barreling swell.   Dead low was a bit heavy with a constant barrage of swell, which made the inside swirly.  The paddle out was a bicep burner.  As the tide began to shift the waves soften and began to organize.  The swell was setting up nicely with defined peaks pealing into hollow barrels.  At low tide many peaks where A-frames with a choice of left and rights.  The lefts where fun setting up nicely for barrels with long shoulders.  Rights were fun early, but faster.  As the tide moved in the majority of rights began to closeout.  I headed out around the Flamingo and was able to score a bunch of fun lefts and rights, which setup for some fun barrels and nice faces for cutbacks.  About an hour into the rising tide lines became spotty with many closeout sets.

 Nice A-frame.

The weather was phenomenal, fifty-six degrees and sunny.  There was little wind, 8 kts blowing out of the west.  I was in a 5/4 and was overheating.  I couldn’t really ask for a better winter session.

 

Around 9:30 am I checked 48th street.  48th street was insane, with a big peak sitting outside just south of the jetty.  No one was on it.  I heard one surf comment it was very difficult to paddle out there and he came back in to surf some of the peaks north of the jetty.  North of the jetty supported the same peak from last week.  This peak was firing with head high barrels setting up with a nice air section.  About twenty people where out here with another 20 on the beach as spectators.  A few photographers where out snapping shots of OC's elite.  One of the elite, Vince Boulanger, was spotted dropping in on overhead sets, getting shacked, and boosting airs.

 I got reports of great swell from the Naval Jetties to Indian River and all over OC, mid-town, south OC, and the inlet.  There where major bombs at Assateague if you where up for the paddle.  Thanks to Chauncey's, Tim, Harry, David, Galen, and Julie for the reports.

Around dusk I went back to the beach to check out the leftovers.  The tide was sitting on the bar producing smaller, softer sets, but they still looked fun.  I thought this was the sign of things to come for Monday... Waist to chest and clean?

 The sunset was stunning.

Monday

Given the typical progression of east coast storms and what I saw Sunday evening, I was expecting a nice chill waist to chest wave.  I was wrong...  Monday remained chest to head with plus sets, but was cleaner and more organized. 

I checked 48th early.  It was setting up nicely with peaks on either side of the jetty.  More people were south of the jetty, hitting the two main peaks, because of the better conditions then Sunday.  The crowd was 20 + strong south of the jetty and about 10 strong north of the jetty.  The fan-fair was significantly less then Sunday.

 

 South of the jetty.

I headed south to meet JD and surf the same break as Sunday.  It was an empty line up with the same left and right head high barrels.  As the tide began to shift out of dead low the waves picked up and became faster and heavier, but remained extremely fun.  Eventual, there was too much water sitting on the bar and it began to close out.

JD and I left the break and head back to 48th street where I thought it would still be setting up like it was earlier.  Again, I was wrong...  It got bigger and became peaky with nice barrels.  There were plenty of waves for the twenty or so surfers.  Everyone got a peak and was hooting and hollering.  We were all stoked.  Peaks where head plus drops with long chest to head shoulders.  Did I mention they where hollow?  Oh yeah, they where hollow…  Definitely one the better swells in my memory.  Well, since Bill. 

Sunday morning South OC

 

What did I think of Sunday?

Wave Height:  Chest to head plus

Wave Face Conditions: Clean

Overall Conditions: Clean, with a constant barrage of waves earlier, making the paddle out difficult in some spots.

Weather:  56 and sunny.  Very pleasant sitting in the line up.  Weather conditions made a 4/3 possible.

Wind:  0-8 kts South, South-west

Water Temp: 46 (4/3) full winter gear.

Sufing level: Intermediate to Advance

Wave Type:  Very fun at low tide with swirly conditions on the inside.  Heavier at dead low, barreling with nice lines.  As the tide filled in, the waves became slightly softer with nice setups.

What did I think of Monday?

Wave Height: Chest to head occasional plus at certain spots.

Wave Face Conditions: Clean

Overall Conditions: Clean, a bit swirl inside.

Weather: 40 and cloudy early going sunny.

Wind: 15-25 kts South, South West

Water Temp: 46 (5/4 or pushing a 4/3) full winter gear

Sufing level: Intermediate to Advanced

Wave Type:  Very fun clean, hollow wave.

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