Hey, Im going to be working in PA outside of Philli this summer, and might make a few trips to the east coast. Right now Jersey is the closest so im just planning for that as of now. I know the swell is mostly garbage in the summer, and chances are ill be back home before hurricane season, BUT is there much surf in the summer months? Long Board and a fish sound reasonable?
Is there any shops in the state that carry blanks (PU or EPS) by the way? There doesn’t seem to be much info on the net that i could find. Any links would be awsome, thanks!
Go to www.essencesurf.com , we order blanks every 2 weeks for shapers and students, the more people that order blanks the cheaper the shipping is for everyone to split. We also have links to all the local surfcasts
The key to having fun in the summer in Jersey is low tide. When it’s knee high plan to be at the beach around low. Also, mornings and evenings are typically better with lighter winds. Once the sun starts warming things up the wind picks up from the south and blows it out. There are also a few tropical storms, depressions, or low pressure systems that will usually bring fun surf, but for the most part it’s knee to waist mush June and July with the tropical systems starting around August. Check out www.swellinfo.com. They are pretty reliable.
Oh almost forgot the worst part… beach badges and life guards. Most beaches in Jersey charge for access from 10am to 4pm and have designated surfing beaches, which are way too small to hold everyone if the waves are fun. Some beaches have people checking for badges (to prove you paid) as you walk on. Some have people who walk the beach checking if you have your badge. It’s pretty lame. Most of the time you wont want to be at the beach from 10 - 4 anyway, But if low doesn’t fall during the morning or evening you may find yourself wanting to catch some small peelers during the day. You can either take your chances sneaking on (once in the water they cant check for a badge) or pick one town to surf at and fork over the $30 for a badge.
depends how on the surf you are. living half a block fro the beach, I am always on it. it can go flat for a week then be really fun waves for a couple days. It isn’t going to have either the winter or hurricane juice but you can hang heels, or get a cover up.
Another good website is dukestorm.com. Good, daily, eyes-on reports from Cape May to Long Branch in Jersey, and some reports from New York, too. Also a forecast, if Duke’s not too busy to update. He’s a meteorologist, so he’s pretty accurate.
Driving from PA to Atlantic City is your best bet, as it’s the closest and, although it’s not very pretty, there are some good breaks in that area. Check out www.wannasurf.com and look at the spots in New Jersey for a good rundown of what you can expect.
As for board selection… I’d bring either a fish OR a longboard. The longboard will get the most use and the most waves. Think about a modern fish or other “performance” type board for when it gets good… and it will get good, on occasion, even in the doldrums of summer. And by that I mean chest high or better and clean, if you can get on it when all the variables are in place… wind, tide, no guards, daylight, no work, etc., etc., etc. You want to have a board that works good when the waves are good, or you’ll be wishing you did.
Other than that, get a sailboard or kiteboard, and be stoked even when it’s thigh high chop with that daily south wind all over it. You’ll still be stoked and ripping…
Being based outta Philly we study the heck out of wind forecasts, bouys, and tide charts on the web to get an idea of where to hit the next swell. 15 years ago I used to have to rely on calling surf shops for reports only to hop in the car to find that “waist high and clean” to be knee high mushburger closeouts. Now it’s easy to determine if it’s worth it to go. Learn the coastline and interpolate all the info you can get your brain on and you’ll find some surf somewhere in Jersey most of the time.
www.Dukestorm.com has good 5 days surfcasts and an army of dedicated reporters spread up and down the shoreline. www.magicseaweed.com is another pretty good forecast tool as well as weather.com for hourly winds.
Summer boards - I never leave the shop without a longboard on top and a fish in the back, can’t lose with that combo.
Beach tags - plan to get to the beach before 10 or after 4. Or sneak on I’ve given up debating with the beach tag slingers that no one owns the ocean and surfing’s free. I think it’s like $7-$8 now for a daily pass…avoid it.
If you do have to surf in a dedicated surf zone, keep it light hearted, smile at others, say hello, give waves, respect the whistle-happy lifeguards (they’re just doing their job) and don’t get too upset when you look down the beach at better quality waves that break outside the “surf zone”
Stop by the shop and hitch a ride with us sometime if you want.
H respect the whistle-happy lifeguards (they're just doing their job) and don't get too upset when you look down the beach at better quality waves that break outside the "surf zone" :)
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quite a few of the guards are surfers too and I know I feel like a douche whistling knowledgeable wave riders out of the water.
when you see waves breaking in the non-surfing areas, remember it always looks better down the beach
Hey thanks for the response, all of those links are now book marked haha. Ill definitly be visitng greenlight and picking up some epoxy and some blanks.
Greenlight - ill definitly be interested if you guys have the time to see what your bamboo fabric is all about.
RAND, I might take you up on that offer, ill shoot you a PM later on. It would be sick to have a place to shape away from home.
What kind of balnks do you guys order tjrm63? Ill shoot you a PM later in a month. I would be very interested in picking up a longboard PU blank in one of your orders.
again, thanks everyone im looking forward to getting some waves and NOT paying this fee if i can help it…haha.
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