Jersey Shore Surf!

August 25, 2009

First time in the water: Ocean City, NJ
44th street. In the break between 45th and 43rd streets.

Observations: Mostly sunny. Light cloud cover, high small cirrus clouds. Above average temperatures – 70s. The sun is directly overhead. Sunlight sparkles off the wave, like diamonds in the sea. Water temperature – cold, maybe the coldest water I’ve ever been in – feels like pins, prickling / stinging my feet and hands. Wetsuit works great, offered protection from hypothermia. The stoke of wave riding kept me warm – no time to think about being cold when you are scanning the peaks on the horizon for the next perfect wave to glide down.

As I returned to the waters of Ocean City, NJ – I also reverted back to my kooky-style of surfing. With a nice sandy bottom, no coral reef to worry about destroying, no sea urchins with their nasty needles to dance around, I could just stand next to my board and wait for the waves, hop on at the last minute, paddle one or two strokes, and then hold-on tight, rise into my cobra pose, climb up from my knees to my feet and viola! Stand, surfing, for a solid 3 seconds!

Sure, my first day in the water after Rincon, PR was a bit of a let down, but only for a few seconds. As soon as I caught my first wave and rose to my feet, I only thought, in that moment, fully focused, that this was awesome! Also, I was super jazzed to find nice little 1 footers to ride at the 44th street beach. This is my beach. This is where I surf and its nice to know that on any given day, I can get out in the water. I don’t care if it is flat. I don’t care if it is cold. I don’t care if it is crowded. I know I can get out there and have fun, every time.

There are no great tales of unforgettable rides to tell after this first day. I was excited on two separate occasions to be able to take one step forward on the board in my ultimate pursuit of walking the nose. There was one moment though, when a group of birds were flying in the migratory V-formation, north along the beach toward Atlantic City. The amazing thing was this flock of about twenty birds flew just a few feet above the surface of the ocean and directly in my direction. I laid prostrate on my board and just watched as they flew over, so close I could clearly see that they were ducks. In the same frame of sight, the sun sparkled off the water creating an amazingly beautiful testament to the pure beauty of mother Earth. I was overcome with awe on top of the stoke I’d already received.

What a great day!

Rincon's Famous Breaks - Steps and Tres Palmas

This image is from Steps Beach and Tres Palmas surf break. When we arrived in Rincon on Tuesday - this was the first famous break we visited. You can see the surf from the Road to El Faro (The Lighthouse). A dirt road leads down to the beach with a small turn-around for parking. I immediately recognized Tres Palmas from photos I have seen on the internet (keep in mind, there are more than three palm trees at this break). There were only two cars parked at the beach. They belonged to some people who were snorkeling. An attractive woman in her late forties and an older gentleman told tales of seeing beautiful brightly colored coral, some small fish, and a few baby sea turtles - how precious (86 the sarcasm). As you can see in the photo, the surf was virtually nonexistent - which means perfect conditions for snorkeling.

Also, nearby I spotted some surf campers with their tent set up. I walked over to get a good photo of the steps and say hello. After a friendly greeting, I became somewhat wary as I noticed they were enjoying a morning pick-me-up, passing around a bottle of liquor - a little hair off the dog that bit yah, just like Spring Break '98!

Julie and I never got into the water at Steps - though the next day we did cast off from Maria's Beach and paddled after some surf at Tres Palmas. Thursday, as a big swell came in, I had to avoid this break because I couldn't handle it as a kook (6 - 8 feet).



I was fascinated by the fact that as the swell rose, the surf broke further out from the shore - this has something to do with physics and wave height v. ocean depth. It was a powerful experience to see the Steps in still waters one day and then see white wash angry ocean the next.

Check out the video Tres Palmas - There Will Be Swell on YouTube. March 2008 the waves got Big Boriqua-style! Ah, the ocean's way of celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Spring Break '98. Well done lil' lady.

The beauty of Rincon is that these great surf breaks are all part of a Natural Marine Reserve. Kudos to those who have lobbied on the behalf of Mother Nature! As a result, they have a rustic - state parkesque feel. It reminded me of my days as a child at Selkirk Shores in Port Ontario, N.Y. Hope you get the chance to visit someday!

Avoiding the Barbed Wire Fence of Fear

OCEAN VIEW IN SAN JUAN, PR

3. Surfing has changed how I view myself.

Narberth, PA 6:53 AM 44 degrees Clear sky as sunrises. Greyish blue fades into white fades into orange at the horizon. Birds up early, lots of chirping, geese honking.

Our journey to Rincon began with the R5 train ride from Narberth to 30th street station, followed by the R1 airport line to US Airways departures. It was Saturday morning before Easter break and our flight to San Juan was overbooked. What stands out in my journal writing is the emphasis on emotion I felt about the upcoming week.

- Couldn't sleep last night - too excited about too much: trip to P.R., new puppy, final paper to finish MA program. I'm excited to see, hear, smell, taste a new place. Very excited about getting back in the water. Also anxious.

The anxiety was due in part to a lack of self confidence in my ability to surf. More generally, I think it was tied to the fear of the unknown. I'd never been to Puerto Rico. I'd never been on a surfari. I'd never shared the water with professionals and territorial locals. These fears were rooted in my inexperience. As the great David Lee Roth said in his monumental autobiography Crazy From the Heat, something like knowing that I didn't know what I thought I knew was all I ever really needed to know. Like Roth, I too was blessed with self awareness:

I'll do a rental lesson with Julie the first day = probably Wed because we're kooks. I hate feeling like an amateur but I have to crawl before I can walk to the nose.

Embracing my kookiness, my newcomer status, allowed me to relax. Recognizing the reality of the situation (I don't really know what I am doing) and putting aside my ego made asking for directions, taking lessons, and begging for help easier. In fact, it made the whole vacation much more enjoyable! Thank God that I realized this before I even left Narberth.

The First Surfari

2. Surfing has changed what I want to do on my vacation.

When I first met Julie's parents and my future in-laws, I was watching MTV's coverage of Spring Break 1999. As a recent college graduate, I longed for the care-free, reckless, and self-destructive mayhem playing out on beaches across Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Dave and Peg knocked at the door and I clicked off the television. In response to their warm, enthusiastic Hello!, I simply stated, "If I could give my younger brothers one piece of advice, it would be to go on Spring Break." Months later when Julie told her dad she was dating her redheaded roommate, he gasped, "you mean the Spring Break guy?"

Needless to say, Spring Break has a special place in my heart. This year my wonderful wife Julie planned a trip to Rincon, Puerto Rico to celebrate Spring Break '09! I was lukewarm to the idea due to the impending economic doom caused by the banking financial crisis. Also, I had the specter of my Masters Comprehensive Exams hanging over my head along with the work for my final grad class. I thought I might use spring break, not for enjoyment but to get ahead on my work. (Soooooo lame!)

Julie prevailed, despite my misgivings, to do everything necessary to ensure a fantastic trip! She found really cheap airfare and a direct flight to San Juan, PR, booked a night at the famous Art Deco hotel Normandie, and rented an inexpensive apartment from a super wonderful couple in the great surf town of Rincon. This Spring Break was our first Surfari and what better surf destination than the Hawaii of the Caribbean, RINCON!

The next series of blog posts are taken from the journal I kept during the break. Throughout the week, I found myself chanting: best vacation ever, best vacation ever. Spring Break '09 was not the traditional - get tore up from the floor up, foam party, car bombs, hangovers and fast food. It was something completely different - going to bed at 9PM, getting up at 5:30AM, no T.V., - only pure appreciation of the ocean, the land, the air, and the stoke.