Surfing is Broken

[claw87]

I suppose this happened in the north of the Island, correct? People come there and think that´s like the south, but it´s quite different, and there is strong localism there.

Also, lately surfing is getting very crowded, with a lot of people that don't know what they are doing in the lineup (no excuses for stabbing tires).

In the north, yeah. I've spent a total of 3 months here now, and no issues in the water. I know my place in the food chain. I've actually found the south (Spanish left in particular) more hectic.

Crowds have been getting insane everywhere in Europe the past years, and way more vanlife guys on torqs in the water

 

[WFCody]

In the north, yeah. I've spent a total of 3 months here now, and no issues in the water. I know my place in the food chain. I've actually found the south (Spanish left in particular) more hectic.

Crowds have been getting insane everywhere in Europe in the past years, and way more vanlife guys on torqs in the water

Then it was the place where you parked. A very crowded place with few options to park your car, but very convenient to access the wave. There have always been a lot of problems because neighbours don´t have alternatives to park their cars to access their homes. So, avoid this place for parking, and everything will be fine.

Yes, we are suffering all the van life stuff, for parking, surfing, non-educated behaviors, and some of them
leaving their sh!t behind. Not everybody is the same, for sure, but.....

The Spanish left is a very local point break.

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

I've only ever met one person from the Canary Islands on a surf trip. Nice enough guy on land. But he blasted dance club music all fckng day long when he wasn't in the water, and he'd paddle from Steamer Lane to try snake someone at Rincon. Kind of fucking annoying to have someone from a notoriously localized zone being such a major pain in the ass on a different continent.

The Brits I've met travelling have been very polite surfers. The Basques have been cool. The rest of the Euros, hit and miss.
But in the same way the South Americans can be insanely competitive, and the Israelis can be insanely oblivious, the Mainland Europeans are comically bad at judging who to burn. Everyone else, you can mostly tell they're assessing entry, line choice, the section they're trying to collapse to shut the door....

The Euros it's all image. A white 20-something with dreads who can barely swim will get every wave. The slightly older Mexi-local sponger who could sh!t in their food or have their room robbed to the pillowcases gets eye contact faded.

 

[WFCody]

I've only ever met one person from the Canary Islands on a surf trip. Nice enough guy on land. But he blasted dance club music all fckng day long when he wasn't in the water, and he'd paddle from Steamer Lane to try snake someone at Rincon. Kind of fucking annoying to have someone from a notoriously localized zone being such a major pain in the ass on a different continent.

The Brits I've met travelling have been very polite surfers. The Basques have been cool. The rest of the Euros, hit and miss.
But in the same way the South Americans can be insanely competitive, and the Israelis can be insanely oblivious, the Mainland Europeans are comically bad at judging who to burn. Everyone else, you can mostly tell they're assessing entry, line choice, the section they're trying to collapse to shut the door....

The Euros it's all image. A white 20-something with dreads who can barely swim will get every wave. The slightly older Mexi-local sponger who could sh!t in their food or have their room robbed to the pillowcases gets eye contact faded.

In my opinion, it´s all about education. You must address the non-verbal language in the water and adapt to the peak and the locals. Some people think they can snake, and no one will be aware of them, but you see them coming since they start paddling from the shore. That´s something I can not understand, but that´s the way it is.

 

[Swallow Tail]

MOUNT PATCHOGUE FTW!

hate to say it but a latest-generation wave pool in central Suffolk would probably do really well
there have been dudes trying to raise money for one for years. Maybe these crest guys actually have real money behind it?

Yes, it’s a good bet they’ve got very deep pockets, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to be in a locale like Shirley. … More likely they’re pipe dreamers.




Surfing used to be a kinda fringe activity for much of LI… I fckn hated Kelly Slater for what I perceived as his strong influence changing that. That whole generation, the SC mag whore clown show crew, all of pro & Olympic surfing -,fxk all dat.

 

[Subway]

yeah the 90's were still pretty low key here, on both ends of the island

 

[Swallow Tail]

yeah the 90's were still pretty low key here, on both ends of the island

Pre Slater era - there were really no kooks to speak of except in the summer when the water is warm. The only people that surfed were surfers. That ship has sailed. Fortunate to be in a zone for quite awhile w numerous spots that are still old school.

 

[Subway]

for sure. The ONLY people surfing were competent to even highly skilled short boarders. period. Maybe a few of those crusty old throwback dudes at Ditch, but, other than that, long boards did not exist

Chris Harmon making the cover of Surfer had us all pretty stocked. Ironically getting a stand up barrel NOT technically on Long Island whatsoever

My sister dated him for about a minute in high school lol

 

[Swallow Tail]

for sure. The ONLY people surfing were competent to even highly skilled short boarders. period. Maybe a few of those crusty old throwback dudes at Ditch, but, other than that, long boards did not exist

Chris Harmon making the cover of Surfer had us all pretty stocked. Ironically getting a stand up barrel NOT technically on Long Island whatsoever

My sister dated him for about a minute in high school lol

Yep, only people that surfed were good to exceptional shortboarders w the odd ball longboarder or alt craft du exception - that were also good surfers. A bygone era. Glad I got to experience it.

Just had a bit of a flashback …. Driving past the dump - you’d smell all of its glory when the wind is offshore. Haha

 

[Maz]

Tenerife has been my heaviest localism experience for sure. Spanish Left was ok, if you minded your manners, but that far NE town I just left to the locals.

 

[Subway]

semi related story from this weekend. When i go surf Jersey on a west wind, which i do maybe a few times a year, i make no secret that i drove down from Long Beach when people make small talk with me (still happens sometimes) and every single time, the local says "nice, i was just at xyz on Long Island for that last swell, super fun" or something to that effect. I know there are spots in Jerz that are still locked down pretty hard, even for/from other NJ residents, but overall, i think NJ and NY have a sort of unspoken reciprocity agreement in place. I'm friendly to the NJ guys when they're on "my" jetty. you can see them a mile away, because they don't look like any of the 20 or so regulars who i always see at "my" jetty. As long as they aren't back paddling or snaking or being overly greedy, it's all good

A large-ish guy at Manasquan, probably 8 years ago, gave me a little lip and said go back to Long Beach (he overheard me talking to friendlier locals) and i just turned and looked at him with a smile and said "tell me you have never surfed Long Beach in a North wind on a good swell, and I will paddle down to the next peak" and the dude STFU and paddled away instead

 

[jkb]

semi related story from this weekend. When i go surf Jersey on a west wind, which i do maybe a few times a year, i make no secret that i drove down from Long Beach when people make small talk with me (still happens sometimes) and every single time, the local says "nice, i was just at xyz on Long Island for that last swell, super fun" or something to that effect. I know there are spots in Jerz that are still locked down pretty hard, even for/from other NJ residents, but overall, i think NJ and NY have a sort of unspoken reciprocity agreement in place. I'm friendly to the NJ guys when they're on "my" jetty. you can see them a mile away, because they don't look like any of the 20 or so regulars who i always see at "my" jetty. As long as they aren't back paddling or snaking or being overly greedy, it's all good

A large-ish guy at Manasquan, probably 8 years ago, gave me a little lip and said go back to Long Beach (he overheard me talking to friendlier locals) and i just turned and looked at him with a smile and said "tell me you have never surfed Long Beach in a North wind on a good swell, and I will paddle down to the next peak" and the dude STFU and paddled away instead

Do the Jerzy guys look like this?

 

[Subway]

The surfers mostly look pretty normal. Except for the oil slick left behind every time they duck dive

 

[rowjimmytour]

The surfers mostly look pretty normal. Except for the oil slick left behind every time they duck dive

 

[Ifallalot]

I kinda wish I was a Guido

 

[Watervalley]

saw some of the Canary Isle crew at Sultans in September , yup and yup , guy who lived in Lanzarote from France key word here saw them and just turned white ,they knew some of the crew my Basque friend knew from there had some laughs he asked them if they wanted to meet the French guy via Brittania living there ahh no and fuck him they knew his face sounds better in Spanish

 

[smithgrind]

It used to be poop, pulp mill effluent, freezing water, and crappy surf!

Still is…

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

Do the Jerzy guys look like this?

View attachment 142010

Those dudes are 1st or 2nd gen Albanians in Yonkers.

 

[manel85]

I was on the phone with the crest people and the conditions are the following:

It's quite expensive.
- 3.5k for a membership deposit (whoever deposited will get to test the wave)
- 35k for membership initiation cost (the 3.5k deposit counts towards that) payed whenever the wave is built
- 1.5k a month
For a 10 year run that totals 215k.

The wave:
- Each wave is supposed to be customizable on each run, (the guy behind me on the surf queue gets a different wave shape to me)
- 1 to 7 foot, up to 85 yards long
- pump technology, like the NJ wave pool, just more advanced setup (better pumps + reef)
- outside, but heated to 65F in the winter (if its cold outside 3/2 wettie+)
- the wave design and experience team come from the Surf Ranch

The club:
Just a regular members club, gym, co working space, blah.

If you get to surf 6h a week 40 weeks a year that's 2400 hours of surf for the 10 years. That's about 90 bucks/hour.
The NJ pool (most likely a worst wave) is about 100-125/hour (off peak/peak).

 

[Subway]

That’s a lot cheaper than i expected. I may actually consider it for the last 7 or so years I still live here

i mean, I probably won’t, but, if I get a chance to surf it and it’s epic? Worth it. It’s flat here 75% of the year, and that’s being generous and not accounting for wind/cold misery factor