A long wait for great day of surf.

It’s been a while since I’ve been out and it was definitely starting to show in my attitude and demeanor.  Unfortunately this is the plight of the surfer.  After the incredible Christmas swell, we had a lull during January.  The current month (February) has picked up giving the Mid-Atlantic some chest to head and clean surf.  For those of us that work 9-5 and live in the metro area it’s been unfortunate, because it has occurred during the work week.  So we grit our teeth, fight back the “no-surf anxiety”, smile, and continue to live our lives.

 48th Street

What do we do?  Some immerse themselves in work and family, while others take a surf vacation to San Diego, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Hawaii, etc.  Most turn to the “Mountains” and “snow-surf”.  Those of us otherwise distracted, myself included, turn to the gym and the pool to stay in shape for the next swell, which is a topic another post.

 Barrels everywhere! 

Well my friends, all the waiting paid off.  Today, Sunday 2010-Feb-28, was a good day to surf.   The surf was stomach to chest with an occasional head high and clean.  So how did we get here?  Monday, the weekend was looking dismal with clean, ankle high surf.  Wednesday, the reports showed knee to waist and clean.  As the week progressed it was upgrade to waist to stomach.  Finally Saturday, it was upgraded to waist to chest and clean.

A fellow in a barrel north peak at 48th street.

 

After seeing the upgraded report I split DC and shot back to OC to get a jump on the surf, despite the evening’s plans.  Low tide was at 12:30 with cleaner and bigger sets in the morning.  I decide the falling tide into dead low would be the way to go.  The winds were 10-15 mph out of the west going northwest.  As I approached the beach the sky turned dark and sleet began to fall.  Great start…  This only lasted a few minutes.

 

48^th street was nice with the two main peaks, one north and one south of the jetty.  About 20 total people scattered between the peaks.  After snapping a few shots, I went south and checked the swell.  It was nice with no crowd.  After a fight with the suit I headed out.  The paddle out was easy and surprisingly the suit didn't feel too restricted.  I was so glad I’ve been hitting the gym.

Nice A Frame -- 48th

As I sat and waited for the next peak I began to wonder how I would perform on the first wall.  After all it has been two long months.  Alright, here it comes.  Paddle!  Paddle!  Pop!  It was a beautiful chest high left, which setup with a nice barrel!  The session produced a bunch of fun rides.  Some with nice barrel sections, other with good shoulders, both lefts and rights.  Towards the end of the session as the wind picked up and the tide went slack the waves began to close out.  However there were still a few standout peaks up and down the beach.  At this point the cold was setting in to my extremities and it was time to get out. 

What did I think?

Wave Height: Waist to chest, occasional head, at certain spots.

Wave Face Conditions: Clean

Overall Conditions: Clean.

Weather: 43 very cloudy with spots of sun. 

Wind: 15 mph west going northwest

Water Temp: 40 full winter gear

Surfing level: Beginner to intermediate.

Wave Type: Very fun and clean


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow my sessions and other surf related news on twitter @surfingDC.

Additional photos are available 
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2518989&id=5730296&l=c619f4031

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.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow my sessions and other surf related news on twitter @surfingDC.

Additional photos are available at http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.van.fleet/HolidaySwell#