I’m here. I moved to Center City Philadelphia three weeks ago from Honolulu, and I’ll be here for 24 months for some advanced job training, before heading back to Hawaii.
I’d like to get in some surfing while I’m here, most likely on the weekends. Anybody want to help a brother out? I’ve got some boards coming, but not until late August/early September. It’s been almost a month since I’ve dipped my toes in seawater.
Was wondering if anyone here on the forum lives in the area, or nearby? I’d love to meet some East Coast Swaylockers who wouldn’t mind sharing a little piece of their paradise. I’ve got nothing but beachbreak on my mind right now. Advice, and a little push in the right direction is good, too.
I’ll try my best to help out: beer, gas money, reciprocation in Hawaii, lending my boards when they come, etc. You name your price.
Tons of places to go from Philly. LBI is only about 90 minutes. Brighton Beach Surf Shop rents all kinds of boards for $8/day, cheapest I have found on the island. Ocean City is about the same but I don’t know the land there.
I’m just outside Philly (Drexel Hill, in the 'burbs to the west of the city), shoot me a PM and we can hook something up. You ready for winter!!! Damn that would be a culture shock coming from HI…
Sidestreet- I live in Lavallette and work down near LBI, so I surf both (although my after-work LBI sessions have been greatly reduced due to my daughter’s arrival to this world 2 months ago… but I don’t mind).
I do an on-line wave prediction; I E-mail it to my friend (webmaster at www.eastcoastsurfer.com ) and he posts it up. I honestly have to say I’m very accurate and run into happy “customers” (not really customers because it’s free) all the time. It’s made for the northern Ocean County area, but is fairly applicable for the LBI area (just remember that LBI tilts a little more to the SE, so swells from the S direction are a bit better in LBI, but swells more from the NE (with the exception of a few spots on LBI) are better northward).
If you are looking for gear (to buy or rent) or some local knowlege, call Jason at Legacy Surf and Skate in Manahawkin (on the way to LBI); he is the owner and a good friend of mine, so mention Sak sent ya and he might be a little more willing to reveal deeper local knowlege to ya His # is (609)597-3939 .
Sidestreet, I update as-needed. That usually equates to 2-3x a week. Sometimes daily when there are back-to-back swell events and/or flip-flops in the models.
Sometimes the updates get delayed since there is often a lag-time between my sending it to my friend and his reading and posting it. There is one “on his desk” at the moment concerning the weekend. Hopefully he posts it soon.
I use Sak’s forecast all the time. I surf LBI…and I’ve found that it’s usually the most accurate forecast for the area. He is also very conscious about not over-hyping swells like many of the other forecasters. I’m looking forward to this weekend’s update…looks like something is brewing out there. Clean-up for Friday afternoon into Saturday morning???
Good call with your report. I bummed a ride out to Ocean City and surfed 7th St(?) on a 9’0 and 6’6" The waves were clean and formed well, though a tad soft on the shoulders.
I’ll be checking that report more.
Thanks to Swaylockers for offering me help in surfing the area!
Fishguts and sidestreet… thanks for the props. I’m glad my work can help you out… that is the exact reason I do the prediction- to spread the stoke and help a fellow man out. Sometimes I wonder if I contribute to crowding, but for the most part I feel that my reports are low-key, don’t name locations or breaks, and most people are surfing for the right reasons so I’m helping them to do so a bit better.
Fishguts and sidestreet… thanks for the props. I’m glad my work can help you out… that is the exact reason I do the prediction- to spread the stoke and help a fellow man out. Sometimes I wonder if I contribute to crowding, but for the most part I feel that my reports are low-key, don’t name locations or breaks, and most people are surfing for the right reasons so I’m helping them to do so a bit better.
Is there a wrong reason to surf?
Here’s some beta: LBI cops suck.
Here’s some more beta: There are no secret spots in NJ [even if a dimwitted, xenophobic ‘local’ tells you this].
Even more beta: The NJ beach tag system is illegal [riparian rights on public property].
NJ is crowded all summer anyway, whether that is in the water, on the beach, or on the roads. It’s just that way it is. I find the summer surf crowd in NJ to be generally very friendly and forgiving. The only real issue is surfing during the lifeguard hours. Then everyone has to crowd into small, surfing designated areas which often don’t have the best sand bars or setups.
Looking forward to September… and hackeysaky, I like your surf reports. Keep up the good work.
His # is (609)597-3939 .