Alex Gray, Shorebreak. photo: pullen
We were supposed to be having springbreak the past few weeks but it’s been anything but, more like winter break. I have always thought the first couple weeks of March are some of the coldest of the year. After the past snow days we had one real quick warm up but only for a couple of days.
March 6th and 7th were beautiful days, sunny, with a SW wind and a small easterly swell which having trouble finding a good sandbar to break on. The waves were pretty walled up and breaking all at once but the air was so nice everyone made it out in the 47 degree water for a surf anyway. A lot of the local boys that are away at college came home for the week, Alex Gray, Cash Barris and Morgan O’connell were happy to find some surf.
The next few days were small but a north swell picked up quick on the afternoon of the 10th. The water temps dropped again and this week Jeff told me going out Hatteras inlet the water had dropped to 39.1 degrees. That is about as cold as you will ever see the south side. The cold water had pushed far south and there were dead turtles killed by the cold and out on the reefs Lionfish were floating on the surface all over.
Cash Barris, over x-mas holiday (no gloves)
The Lionfish is not native to this area and couldn’t handle the cold. Everyone was up early on the 11th and found a nice head high swell out of the north that was getting crossed up with a southerly wind chop. A few folks went out but the wind was really killing the surf. Friday the 13th started the first northeaster I can remember in a while. It never got strong enough to get much size but some windchop built up.
It’s been overcast and drizzly for 5 days now and the NE wind and swell is keeping the water temps in the mid 40′s . The wind died out last sunday and so did the swell but there were a few small glassy waist high waves to be had on the incoming tide.
- Scott
We’re getting constant East swells and horrible winds up here in NJ closing out all Winter,but Spring sprang 1/2 hour ago, so hope ‘springs’ eternal.Somethin’s gotta give or else.Me and my friends wind up at each other’s throats as every swell disappoints and talking about surfing instead of surfing gets frustrating.The In The Eye 7’0″x20″ double wing swallow you shaped me has been perfect in all these too fast waves.It is the most true board,always performs and reacts as I want it to.I am totally confident whenever I ride it and think of it as my most reliable board when it comes to questionable surf.The south side of the pier collects the sand and blocks the north wind so it has been much more rideable than my beachbreak home break,which is similar to the motels in Buxton.Thank God Winter’s over!
oh yeah,i forgot to add that it’s been snowing all morning