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Surfing

SKIQUATTRO

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Oct 28, 2005
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3,232
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Location
LI, NY
surf on the way.....i'll be in..was hoping to get out today 3-5' but work has other plans...weekend should be thigh to waist..still fun
 

SKIQUATTRO

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Oct 28, 2005
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Location
LI, NY
home spot on Long Island, Long Beach.....no time to head to the Cape...should be up there mid Nov
 

Bumpsis

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Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
1,088
Points
48
Location
Boston, MA
Anyone planning on surfing this winter in the Westport, Little Compton area?

I'm usually in through December. My 4/3 suit and the rest of the rubber (booties, gloves, hood) keeps me comfortable down to mid 40's*F (water temps). LC is sort of my "go to" break when swell comes through from the south, but with the short daylight it's only a weekend thing, so it's a crapshoot as far as waves go. Plus, it's really tough to stay in paddling shape when you hit a session once every 6 days, if you lucky. At this point, I don't think I'd be ready for anything bigger that waist high sets. The thicker rubber doesn't help either.
 

SKIQUATTRO

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2005
Messages
3,232
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Location
LI, NY
i dont surf anything bigger than chest high in the winter..i used to but a close call with a rock jetty in 38 degree water makes you rethink some choices....the new Hyperflex hooded 5/3 is awesome, made in NJ and a fraction of the cost of other name brand suits....now praying for big snows
 

Euler

Active member
Joined
Jan 28, 2007
Messages
1,063
Points
36
Location
Southern Vermont
My 12 year old son learned to surf a bit in York Beach last summer. He began with a 2 hour lesson on a big soft top board and then had to learn to ride a short epoxy board with two missinf fins that we found in the basement of the place we were renting. This summer we'll be travelling to Assateague and Ocracoke and I'd like to buy him a board to take with us on the trip. Does anyone have suggestions on what I should look for? I'm hoping to spend around 200-250 since I really don't know how much surfing he'll do given that we don't live in a beach town.
 

snowmonster

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Jan 2, 2006
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4,066
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Location
In my mind, northern New England
Does anyone have suggestions on what I should look for? I'm hoping to spend around 200-250 since I really don't know how much surfing he'll do given that we don't live in a beach town.

Because of the kind of summer waves we get, a longboard of about 8 or 9 feet would be ideal. However, that will cost more than your budget since the longer they are, the more expensive they will be. A good compromise is a funboard between 7'2" and 7'8". You can get new funboards for around $300. If you're new in the sport and just need a board to beat up on (and don't know if your kid will actually stay in the sport), buying used is a great idea. Just make sure to inspect the board for dings and cracks.

I don't recommend shortboards for beginners. Though they are fun for tricks and kids will like them, ideally beginners should get as much time standing and riding the waves. Nothing can frustrate a new surfer more than just paddling around chasing around for a wave they can never catch. Have fun!
 

bigbog

Active member
Joined
Feb 17, 2004
Messages
4,882
Points
38
Location
Bangor and the state's woodlands
Yeah, the beaches where there are rapid dropoffs... Erosion has taken its toll from these along the Maine coast. Higgins....to name just one that had much larger surf decades ago.....oh those summer days....:sad:. Time marches on...geologically. It's often hard to imagine our history here on the planet as being just a blink of an eye.(insert: violin..lol)
 
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bigbog

Active member
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Feb 17, 2004
Messages
4,882
Points
38
Location
Bangor and the state's woodlands
I've been in the water a lot lately on the South Shore. Very warm for this point in the summer.

A few of my colleagues are the ones doing the shark research on the cape right now for the state. They have been seeing A LOT of GWs. They were telling me something interesting the other day that I'd never thought of. They said that the big ones (16') aren't likely to do you any harm. They need to make their attacks calorically worthwhile so they are here for the grey seals and they don't bother with harbor seals or people. And the little babies (<10') are fish eaters with fish-eating teeth that aren't suited for biting people. But at ~10' they lose the baby teeth and get the classic 'shark tooth' and they are ready for bigger prey. But they need to learn from experience what's good to bite and what isn't. So these are the ones that end up "tasting" people! And apparently there are some 10-footers out there.

Yep....also heard stuff like that back in 80's when late night Boston TV would show a lot of underwater documentary/scientific people like Ron & Valerie Taylor(Australian)...where Valerie would explain that the GW feels its meal(with its mature teeth of course) and doesn't really have the urge to expend that enerty nor has it a sweet tooth for eating humans. I vaguely remember expressing my sentiments to the TV like..."Thanks Valerie...makes me feel a whole lot more confident when swimming in the same pool as GWs..."

When watching overhead video of Florida waters and seeing how close people are to the smaller sharks, not to mention of the Bull sharks in estuaries.....:roll:
 
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snowmonster

New member
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Jan 2, 2006
Messages
4,066
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Location
In my mind, northern New England
Been in the water off the Cape since Sunday. Let's just say the the Atlantic feels like a lake right now. Things get better at low tide. You take what you can get. Coast Guard seems to be the place to be this summer.
 
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