The blog has moved!!!

We've just launched our new blog platform at surfandadventure.wordpress.com, which we feel offers us an exciting new medium to keep you informed on what's going on in our world. We've enhanced the visual aesthetics while making it even easier to read. We feel like less is more with this new design and we hope you enjoy. Follow the hyperlink and stay dialed in!

http://surfandadventure.wordpress.com

Check out our Sandbridge Hei Hei video!

We put together some clips from the race on October 9, which turned out to be probably the most beautiful day of the year so far. A small rolling swell, light offshore winds and a groomed sea surface made for a fast track.
Big thanks to Anne and Bill Gassett for hosting the race and the benefiting charities Virginia Aquarium Stranding Team and Surfer's Healing VB for giving it a great cause.
Congrats to Doug Ellis for dominating on the Walden 12'6 racer. Also included in the video are big boss man Rob Lindauer and team rider Eric Coulson snagging second and third place in their respective divisions.
Enjoy! -- S&A

Surf and Adventure team takes second at March of Dimes

After what felt like a never-ending run of rainy days, the skies mercifully broke for the running of the ninth annual Ride For A Cause March of Dimes surf contest, making for crisp-but-beautiful day on the beach in front of the Sandbridge Market.
The event was previously run by friend-of-the-shop Brett Carey, but his medical career has taken him to Maui (that works!), leaving the contest in the hands of close friend Dylan of Pungo Board House. And after sorting through the onslaught of beach entries -- a great problem to have for a charity contest -- Mother Nature took care of the rest with a consistent waist- to chest-high windswell for the duration of the event.
Everyone who posted up on the beach for the competition felt the relaxed, friendly atmosphere created by those who love and share the Sandbridge community.
But in the water, the contestants pushed the competitive limits as the heat sheets read like stacked ECSC divisions. Some real deal rippers turned out to get their hands on the cash prize for open shortboard, in turn raising solid figures for the March of Dimes.
Big thanks to Dylan at PBH for carrying on this radical Sandbridge tradition!
Surf and Adventure riders turned in another solid competitive performance, as the crew took second place in the team division. Led by a 10-point performance by Ricky Judalena -- ripping a 10'0 Walden with powerful lip hits, floaters and lengthy noserides -- a barrel from John Streit, a huge tailblow by Max Pietrzak and solid moves from Sam Cahill, Laney Brooks and Cody Mathews; S&A took top billing among local shop teams including PBH, Juice Box Surf and 17th Street.
Individually, Ricky and Sam claimed first and second, respectively, in open longboard. In an uber-competitive open shortboard division; Sam, Max and Cody were ousted in the preliminaries. John was able to advance to the quarters before taking a bow.
Enjoy these images captured from contest day!
--S&A

Paddle Sandbridge at next weekend's Hei Hei

A growing Sandbridge tradition returns on Saturday, Oct. 9; when the Sandbridge Hei Hei takes over the beach originating at Little Island Park.
The series of stand-up paddleboard and outrigger canoe races begins at 9 a.m. and aims to wrap-up at 11 a.m. with a post-race party and lunch at the Baja Restaurant. Race divisions accommodate the novice to hardcore; with a two-mile novice race, a four- to six-foot SUP endurance race and a seven-mile outrigger canoe course. The race formats -- whether it be downwind, out and back or a surf/slalom course -- will be determined by the conditions on the day of the event. If ocean conditions prove to be too extreme, the event will run in Back Bay.
Aside from providing a platform for Sandbridge paddling bragging rights to be won, the real winners are the event's charities. All proceeds will be donated to Surfer's Healing VB and the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Team.
So come on out to this super-fun event and get your race on for a couple of great local causes! The $40 fee covers race entry, the post-race lunch and goodies from event sponsors like S&A!
To register online, visit www.raceit.com and search "Sandbridge Hei Hei," or sign up on the beach at Little Island between 7:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. on race day.
--S&A.

Let's kickoff swell season with an outdoor video party!

The tropics have been active and the fall winds are starting to blow, which means video cameras have been rolling from the beach capturing the shred.
Earlier this summer, S&A purchased a video projector and a massive outdoor screen to play surf videos at our Midnight Madness and Back-to-School Jammy Jam sales.
Today, I got a call from Rob suggesting that we blend those two factors into an awesome, interactive fall event.
OK Sandbridge/Virginia Beach, you have been put to task! Log you, your friends, local rippers or whoever you'd like surfing on video, edit it into clips, send it to us and we'll play it on the big screen outdoors at the shop sometime in the upcoming weeks!
Looks like some swell is approaching, so this week/weekend is the perfect time to take turns shooting with your friends from the beach to capture the action.
There will be no restrictions on wave-riding equipment, skill level or video quality. If you shoot it, it will run on the screen, guaranteed! Got some dusty, old footage and nothing to do with it? Bring it!
But obviously, we can't make this happen without YOUR involvement; so let's celebrate surfing's best time of the year, gather some footy and stoke each other out of our minds!
Along with the viewing will be music and refreshments, so this really has a chance to be an fun, unique video event that we hope will be a recurring thing.
So let's document the good times. The date and more information will be posted in the coming days/weeks.
-- S&A

S&A team riders solid at Baja Classic

While a hard sideshore wind did its best to knock down the quality of Hurricane Igor's swell, the Baja Surf Classic delivered good vibes and a perfect beach day as the Sandbridge surfing community converged at Little Island Park last Sunday.
A 3- to 4-foot swell was pumping through on the south side of Little Island Pier -- making for contestable conditions -- but the north-northeast wind blowing at about 15 mph caused side-chop, double-ups and headaches for competitors. Despite the challenging conditions, the competitive level was high as Sandbridge's best battled for beach bragging rights.
Some of those vying for division championships were team riders Ricky Judalena, Eric Coulson, Pat Frisk, John Streit and our newest team members Carly Grulich and Laney Brooks.
To give you an idea of the competitive level of the contest, Ricky -- who won masters longboard at ECSC and is currently competing at the Easterns -- placed third in a stacked longboard final won by Ian Seymour.
"The contest was really chill and definitely a lot of fun to meet new people from around Sandbridge," Ricky said. "But as far as the contest went, I wanted to focus on noseriding in the difficult conditions -- in waves that were better suited for down-the-line pumping and turning."
Just check out the makeup of the men's semifinal; which featured rippers Brad Harrell, Seymour, Tim Waters, Ethan Rogers and S&A's Eric and John -- both of whom were unable to survive the cut.
Pat dominated his opening round heat with huge gashes and found a rare barrel to defeat Harrell and Seymour and punch his ticket directly to the final.
As the best waves of the day pushed through for the deciding men's heat, Harrell flipped the script on P.F. by finding a tube of his own and blasting power hacks to emerge victorious (Speaking of Brad: S&A will soon be carrying O'NEILL, which he reps. Even more wetsuit and clothing options will be in for fall so get stoked!).
Everyone in the heat was shredding, and P.F. finished the day placing fourth -- which was no small task considering the competitive level.
Also making their marks were Carly and Laney, both of whom competed in the womens division against much older competition. The 10-year-olds -- competing in their first contest -- did awesome with Laney taking second and Carly taking fourth. Congrats girls!
I'm in the process of hunting down some photos of the contest, so those will be posted asap. Take it easy!
--S&A

Baja Surf Classic this Sunday!

As the days creep further into September, it's the time of year when locals reclaim the beach while there are still summertime temperatures. In Sandbridge, one of the signs that we've entered this awesome season is the running of the Baja Surf Classic contest. This year, the competition will be held on Sunday, Sept. 19 at Little Island Park starting a 8 a.m. and running until 5 p.m. with after-party festivities held at the Baja Restaurant, just across the street.
And as Hurricane Igor -- and now Julia! -- continues churning up the Atlantic, we are nearly guaranteed solid surf for the Classic! Surf and Adventure will be on the beach in support of the event with several giveaways to stoke the crowd. Come on out for a great beach day, and support our team riders who will be competing throughout the day!
The contest still has openings for surfers who live in Sandbridge, Pungo and its surrounding communities; so if you're interested in taking part, contact Baja's Jimmy Reaves at (757) 589-1069.
Entry is $25 per division (two divisions max) with the forms due by Friday, Sept. 17. You can pick up forms and waivers at Surf and Adventure (577 Sandbridge Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23456), but they must be turned in to the Baja Restaurant (3701 Sandpiper Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23456).
See you at Little Island!
-- S&A.
P.S; How sweet does this map look?!

Yo! Check out Most Excellent

Whew, what a week/weekend it's been around Sandbridge/VB. The previous week had us surfed-out with Danielle and Earl passing through, which has made us all exhausted paired with the preparations/work done for Labor Day weekend.
The threat of Earl had the crew scrambling to batten down the hatches; as activities like securing kayaks, moving bikes and other loose items indoors took top priority. Though we were fully prepared for the worst of what Earl could have thrown our way, he took a more seaward track and left us relatively unscathed.
The close call did leave behind a playground of super-fun waves from the early afternoon of Friday through Saturday, with the swell producing hallow pits all around VB on Friday. I think nearly every person in the 757 with a surfboard was in the water.
While most of the S&A team and crew tackled the swell in VB, hard-charging team rider Tyler Balak chased some monsters at an undisclosed location up north. Check it out!

 It's a shame Fiona and Gaston fizzled out. Man, that would have made it hard to get anything done around here, but in a good way...
Anyhow, I also wanted to introduce you guys to a new project that S&A crewmen Josh, Cody and myself are working on called Most Excellent. It's a surfing lifestyle webzine/blog that's still in its formative stages, but we are continuously building content as our schedules allow. We have features on Surfer's Healing Virginia Beach surf camp, a documentary on bird-related beach closures in Hatteras which are strangling the island economy and we will soon have several ECSC recap features.
The ultimate goal is to create an atmosphere of community ownership in the local surfing scene by allowing users to contribute video, text, photo, music and art content. It aims to be a collective documentary effort, so enjoy what we have so far and keep checking back for updates.
http://www.mostexcellent.wordpress.com
--John

Another tropical wave exits Africa. Hello Earl?

It's official, the tropics are really beginning to produce some action. Today, another tropical wave entered the Atlantic near Cape Verde; and it promises to become the next named storm of the 2010 hurricane season. Should its winds reach 40 mph, Earl looks to follow a similar projected path as Danielle, which looks to become a hurricane today. Forecasters say the U.S. is at a low risk of landfall by Danielle, meaning we will maintain maximum swell exposure as it passes off to the northeast early next week.
With Earl riding her coattails, his swell may fill in right as Danielle's fades out by the middle of next week. Let's hope these steer clear of land and have them do what hurricanes do best: pump swell in our direction.
Meanwhile, we're going to make a big push to get some documentation of these swells posted on the site for your viewing pleasure. Stay glued! I'll be posting updates as the forecasts change.
Here's another cool article on whats happening with these storms, this time from AccuWeather.
-- John

Swell season is kicking in!

Ahhh, the fall winds are already starting to blow on the East Coast; and the past couple of weeks have yielded decent windswells that provided some major relief from one of the most surf-starved summers in recent memory.
It looks like a mid- to late-week bump will be headed in our general direction (hitting much better a little bit north and a little bit south, as usual), but that's all just the appetizer for what forecasters say is coming next.
Currently, Tropical Depression Six is spinning in the Eastern Atlantic off of Africa's Cape Verde Islands and promises to become Tropical Storm Danielle within the next 24 hours (probably by the time you view this post). By Wednesday, it's projected that the storm will be a hurricane and should reach Category 2 status on Friday. Beyond that, forecasters can't be sure of what's next, but what's almost certain is that a deep, long-period groundswell will be headed our way!
Of course, the storm's fetch, intensity and proximity to our coastline will make or break whether the swell will provide ideal conditions -- along with local winds, tides and weather. But the potential for great waves is there, and it's arriving right on schedule with the Cape Verde season.
The Weather Channel has a great write-up about Danielle and the scenarios affecting her development and track, check it out here.
Swellinfo.com shows traces of the swell arriving Saturday and hitting with more size on Sunday, but predicting weather -- especially weather as volatile as hurricanes -- seven days out is a crapshoot.
So, keep your fingers crossed and hopefully this time next week we'll be feasting on Danielle's goodies! 

BACK TO SCHOOL JAMMY JAM is coming AUGUST 12. BOOYA!!!

It's that time of year that schoolchildren and college students across the country dread... But have no fear! Surf and Adventure Co.'s BACK TO SCHOOL JAMMY JAM is BACK and ready to attack Sandbridge Road with killer deals and a whole bunch o' fun from 8 PM until midnight on AUGUST 12!
BUY ONE GET ONE FREE or 40% OFF all summer apparel and accessories!!! BUY ONE GET ONE HALF OFF or 25% OFF fall/winter apparel!!! CA$H FOR CLUNKERS will be in full effect, so bring your busted stick, trade it in and get $100 off a brand new one, such as the BEAN, AF1 PRO and QUICKSHIFT from Aloha and the FATBURNER and MINIFISH from Webber.
Stick around and have your mind blown by Transworld Surf's new video "High-5" while playing the latest game to sweep the land: CORNHOLE! Come getcha some! Bombaclot!

S&A rental boy Kyle Ebeling takes the plunge!

This dubious activity -- once reserved as a punishment for misbehaving rental boys -- now becomes the recreational pursuit of Surf and Adventure crewman Kyle Ebeling. If you've ever cast off our Back Bay waterway dock, then you know that the water is dark brown with about a foot of swamp muck below. Watch as Kyle becomes one with the creatures that call our dock home!



And this is what happens afterwards...



OK, seriously though... The guys who cover rentals for us this summer have been awesome despite the sweltering heat! It's moments like these that make those hot, endless Saturdays a lot of fun. Thanks for the entertainment Kyle! You're a true creature!!!

S&A's Tyler Balak lives "The Wild Lyfe"

A few days back, we caught up with Surf and Adventure team rider Tyler Balak about his role in the upcoming film "The Wild Lyfe," which features an all-star East Coast cast chasing down some of the heaviest waves ever documented on this side of the Atlantic.
Here's what Tyler, an integral member of the project -- which also has a corresponding website, listed below the video clip -- had to say about a fall and winter of filming that he said produced the best waves of his surfing career.

S&A: Elaborate on how you became involved with the project.
Tyler: I started surfing with Raven early last fall, and using a jetski around the same time. He has filmed with Eddie and Chris of Commonwealth Media Group for a few years. After chasing a few swells with those guys, clips started accumulating, especially when the jetski was involved because that machine enables us to get better waves because you can chase down sets on nearby sandbars. They had been interested in making a video for a while so it just started building more and more momentum each day we filmed.

S&A: We talked about the mentality of only going south from VB for swell. When and how did that perception change for you as you began heading north as well.
Tyler: Well, I think most of us know that sometimes you can go to hatteras and its not exactly as good as the forecasts predict. It can be weird wind or too much current, its sometimes hard to find the right bar, and pretty often when u do find the bar its crowded. Its just refreshing to do something different, and its really fun to check other places out. In addition, it has been our goal to find the biggest and best barrels for a given swell..wherever that may be.

S&A: I know many of your sessions, especially the heavy stuff, have been logged with jet ski assistance. Explain jet skis' role in the project and tell me how using tow power has changed/elevated your surfing.
Tyler: I mentioned before that the ski allows us to get the bombs, even if there up the beach. That is a major benefit. It also takes current out of the equation. Almost all filming has been done strictly at beach breaks so the jetski allows us to overcome the shifty nature of this type of wave. Another benefit of the ski when surfing bigger waves is it allows us to line up with the end bowl..the more makeable section of the wave. It also makes filming the surfer's perspective much more of a reality..there are a few in barrel shots on the teaser that help to demonstrate this. We have also been experimenting with the follow angle filming from the ski and have gotten a few clips like that.
As far as elevating my surfing is concerned, who wouldn't benefit from surfing more and better waves? Towing is sick because you get more tries or the speed necessary to practice a particular maneuver.. I want to be clear though, we only tow when it is really small and hardly worth paddling.

S&A: What has been your heaviest moment to date while filming?
Tyler: Everyone takes they're share of wipeouts..but my heaviest experience was actually when I was driving the ski. It was december in hatteras on the swell that I got my wave in the teaser and raven got a few of his barrel shots. The road had washed out and several houses were washed into the ocean so there was a ton of debris on the beach and floating around in the lineup. We had been out maybe 15 minutes when I dropped Raven into a sick one and ran inside to pick him up..but my ski just seized up. So I was kind of sitting in the impact zone on one of the heaviest days I had ever surfed with more waves coming at me. Luckily I got pushed in enough by some whitewater that we could see what was wrong without getting destroyed. I had sucked a huge garbage bag in my impeller and Raven was able to get it out without us having to beach my ski and risk losing it in the shorebreak. After that the day went smoothly and we got some really sick waves

S&A: Feel free to add anything else about the project/your surfing.
Tyler: We are just trying to have fun with this, chasing swells on the east coast and using the jetski when the conditions allow. Getting clips and making a movie is just a bonus. We really sort of started chasing waves with the ski in the fall but already I have gotten sicker waves than I have in my entire life..and I have done quite a bit of travelling. We realize that not everyone is stoked on PWCs so we try to be respectful and stay away from crowds and people as much as possible. I love all kinds of surfing and am in fact going to Costa Rica this week without a jetski just to get away from summer east coast flatness and have a good time... which is what surfing is all about.


CHECK IT OUT!



The Wild Lyfe Sneak Peak from The Wild Lyfe on Vimeo.

featuring S&A team rider Tyler Balak alongside Raven Lundy, Lucas Rogers, Noah Snyder and more.
zine - http://thewildlyfe.com/zine/
blog - http://thewildlyfe.com/
full movie- premier in summer of 2011
CHECK IT OUT!

By Land, Airs & Sea

Taking day trips down to the Outer Banks has been a part of Virginia Beach surf culture as long as the sport has been around these parts. The geography of the Outer Banks -- barrier islands that jut out to the southeast, where the continental shelf is much closer to shore and the swell window increases -- make these wave-rich sessions therapy for those of us who suffer from summer’s flat spells.
Recently, the Surf and Adventure crew headed down south to hook up with 158 Surf & Skate’s Matt Price for an afternoon of chasing a small, but fun, southwest wrap-around windswell on Hatteras Island. Judging from the awesome amount of photos taken by S&A’s Ryan Massey of shop crewmen Josh, Cody and John, who’s also one of our team riders, the trip was a success despite the heavy sideshore winds. Everyone was ripping and it was really special to have Ryan along to capture those moments. Thanks so much for being a warrior on the beach all day!
As far as our swell prospects, it looks like more of the same with the occasional fun day mixed in when the southerly flow is on. The tropics are quiet, but that can change quickly.
Stay glued to the blog for more content as swells and trips allow.

Pictures following the break.

Alex and Luke drop in to S&A

Chances are, if you’re reading this blog post right now, you have been brought to us by the power of social media such as Facebook or Twitter.
While electronic visits to S&A get us amped, we had a real-life visit from a couple of really awesome people doing something truly innovative and unique. And, just like most of you, they were brought to us via Internet social media.
Alex Sabine and Luke Vigeant, creators of “Alex and Luke: Our Social Media Powered Road Trip” dropped into Sandbridge last week, and they were directed to us by suggestions from folks following them on AlexandLuke.com and their corresponding Facebook and Twitter sites. The friends are in the middle of a nine-month journey around the United States and Canada in which all of their destinations and activities are determined by their followers.
“When we came to Virginia Beach, everyone said, ‘You have to see the coast; you need
to go surfing, you need to go kayaking,’” said Alex, 26, who’s been traveling with fellow Canadian Luke since March. “We never would have done this stuff if it wasn’t for them. And this keeps happening over and over again everywhere we go. We don’t seek anyone out. We want to keep it true and genuine.”
Alex and Luke jumped into kayaks with our tour guide Sam for a spin around our waterway before getting some waves with our surf instructor Nick at Little Island Park. If the graphic they made for their site is any indication, we showed them one of their trip’s best times to date (check it out at their site!).

The story behind their trip is definitely one of taking a huge leap into the unknown for the sake of adventure and self-fulfillment. Utilizing social media as their guide adds an innovate dimension that taps the limitless potential of Internet communication.
Alex returned to her parent’s Toronto home in the fall of 2008 after completing her
master’s degree in London. While encountering a tough job market due to recession,
tragedy struck as her parents’ home was destroyed by a fire. The silver lining was an insurance check with enough funds to fuel a big trip, so Sabine decided commit her ambitions towards traveling.
Meanwhile Luke was pursuing a promising career as a corporate consultant for IBM,
but his cubicle-bound job left him feeling unfulfilled. A single text message from Alex suggesting that he join the road trip was all it took to convince Luke.
Since then, the friends have visited more than 25 American states and Canadian
provinces, experiencing the unique recreational activities each has to offer while drawing plenty of Internet buzz and media attention.
“Using social media to do this is so viable, it’s been incredible,” Luke said. “We’ve
really formed some true, meaningful relationships that would not have been possible
otherwise.”

Become a follower of Alex and Luke by visiting AlexandLuke.com.

Billabong stokes First Street with the Wounded Warrior Surf Camp, a glance at surf forecast...

For the second year in a row, one of S&A’s favorite brands, Billabong, produced one of the most fun and meaningful special events that united the Virginia Beach surfing community with dozens of combat-wounded veterans.
Taking over the beach at First Street was Billabong’s Wounded Warrior Surf Camp, which ran all day on June 20. Father’s Day obligations couldn’t keep upwards of 50 volunteers from turning out to lend a hand to the rehabilitating soldiers. In fact, once I was done snapping photos and made myself available for helping out, event coordinator and VB surfing fixture Jason Borte said he was maxed out with volunteers. He just told me to grab a board and get wet, so, of course, I did!
But that was what the event was all about: The surfing community giving back in a small way to people who lay their lives on the line everyday as they serve the United States.
One of the campers, John Madigan, shared his story with me under the tents. He is an Army man from Wyoming (stationed in Colorado) who was struck by an errant air supply drop in Afghanistan. The cargo blindsided John, breaking his ankle, arm and back. Currently, he faces another year of physical therapy before he can return to service.
But on this day, the only thing he had to worry about was catching the friendly one-foot rolling waves pushing across the sandbar -- perfect for learning and teaching the sport to newcomers.
“It’s been a great day - a bunch of fun all-around and definitely better than sitting around the hospital,” said John, who caught more than his fair share of waves. “I’m thankful that Billabong provided this for all of us.”
The stoke displayed by the vets was truly invigorating to witness. Several campers picked volunteers brains about taking up surfing either where they are stationed or call home. I have no doubt a few more lifers were created that day.
Jessica and Chris from S&A represented the shop by donating their instruction at the camp and stoked vets like Marine Daniel Mickel, pictured here getting a nice ride.

 

Also, check out Raven's vimeo vid covering the day's events:

http://www.vimeo.com/12765255

In unrelated surf news, the tropical wave we were tracking last week decided to flare out as it approached the Antilles. It’s now located near Hispanola -- way out of our swell window -- and will continue its run westward. I’ll keep you posted on future tropical activity.
As for weather closer to home, it looks like a fetch of southeasterly winds will blow up a small windswell for the Mid-Atlantic region, most notably on the Outer Banks, which should see surf in the knee- to waist-high range for the remainder of the week. Standout bars will probably get some plus sets. Up this way, there should be a longboard-able wave throughout the late week. Better than flatness, I guess.
Anyhow, we have a ton of content lined up to stoke you through these flat dog days. Keep checking back!

-- John Streit.
 

First Cape Verde storm is stirring... Cross your fingers!

Summer definitely came early this year, and it looks like hurricane season is cooperating.
The first tropical wave of the year pulled off the West African coast over the weekend and is making its trans-Atlantic march toward the Caribbean/western Atlantic rim.
While it’s waaaaay too underdeveloped and far off to get excited about a hurricane swell, the formation of a Cape Verde tropical low this early in the season is definitely a sign of an active hurricane season to come.
Hopefully this storm will wrap around itself, catch a bunch of fetch and intensify for an awesome early-summer groundswell. This is what NOAA has forecast for this low over the next 48 hours:
“SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE
LOCATED ABOUT 1375 MILES EAST OF THE WINDWARD ISLANDS HAVE BECOME
LESS ORGANIZED TODAY. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE MARGINALLY
CONDUCIVE FOR DEVELOPMENT...BUT ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME LESS
FAVORABLE IN A DAY OR TWO. THERE IS A MEDIUM CHANCE...40
PERCENT...OF THIS SYSTEM BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE 48
HOURS AS IT MOVES WEST-NORTHWESTWARD TO NORTHWESTWARD AT ABOUT 15
MPH.
ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.”
Sorry about the obnoxious caps...
This doesn’t sound like a very promising forecast for this pulse, but perhaps it will clear this rough atmospheric patch and blow up a little bit by late week. Either way, if the low keeps on its current track, it’ll be in our swell window by the weekend/early next week. Even if it produces a small groundswell, hey, it’s better than nothing.
Stay glued to the blog for future tropical swell updates. Also coming soon is the much-anticipated review of the new Meyerhoffer shapes by Modern Longboards, which has got all of us intrigued and excited!
Oh yeah, and check the Facebook as Cody continues to hammer out filming with the Go Pro. If there is swell, we will be posting web clips and photos of our team riders and crewmen tearing it up.
Hope you got that mysto swell on Sunday and stay AMPED!

-- John Streit.

It's sweepstakes time!!

Surf & Adventure Co. is sponsoring a giveaway this month on CoreShopsDirect.com 

Visit the contest entry page today for your chance to win- while you are there be sure to check out our CORE SHOP PAGE where you can purchase limited edition Surf & Adventure gear! 

Checking in on the S&A team at ESA Mid-Atlantic Regionals

OK, I know this post is a bit belated, but doesn't the old saying go, "better late than never?"That certainly applies to the recognition two of Surf and Adventure's team riders deserve for their performances at the Eastern Surfing Association's Mid-Atlantic Regionals May 13 through May 16, which qualifies surfers for September's "Easterns," the ESA's grand championship.
Hillary Watters and Forrest Roberts managed the small-but-contestable conditions at First Street Jetty to punch their tickets to Buxton.

Renaissance man Forrest Roberts showed his prowess on a different type of shred stick, winning a super-tight open bodyboard finals in which two points separated first and third places.
Forrest also knocked on the door of his bread-and-butter division in junior men's shortboard, placing third in the round-of-30 and second in the quarterfinals to earn a spot in an absolutely stacked semifinal heat. Against the likes of Outer Banks ripper Julian Payne and Central North Carolina's Evan Barton, who placed first and second in the division's finals, respectively, Forrest came up short in the deteriorating conditions and placed sixth.
However, his semifinal push in one of the ESA's most rugged divisions is solid evidence of Forrest's constant improvement, wave-reading savvy and explosive natural talent. Hats off!
Hillary showed her diversity as well as she cruised to two Easterns births in women's shortboard and longboard.
In shortboard, Hillary put a distance of five points between herself and fourth-place finisher Kaitlynn Curran of Delmarva to lock down a finals appearance and a guaranteed trip to Easterns. She ended the tournament with a fifth-place finish.
Hillary improved on her shortboard showing by earning a third-place finish in longboard, using her style and grace to snag a great seeding for Easterns.
Good luck in September guys, and keep checking the blog for how our team riders fare!

-- John Streit

Oh yeah, it's happening....

Alright, so the prediction National Weather Service meteorologist Lyle Alexander gave us for the May 8 blog update appears to have came true.
“From my experience, when it’s really warm in April and May, that pattern will break down during the summer and things should be cooler and more seasonable," he said, adding that waves usually come along with these kinds of patterns due to low pressure activity.
I was beginning to have my doubts as the hot and wave-deprived weather pattern persisted, but this week looks to be extremely active on the swell front.
A surface low brewing southwest of Bermuda is churning up the Atlantic as we speak, and by tomorrow, there should be plenty of waves reaching our shores. Finally.
It looks like Tuesday and Wednesday will be on the choppy side with northeast winds, but Thursday is currently looking like the day to call in sick and feast on solid swell and offshore winds. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Hopefully, the swell will stick around long enough to get us through the weekend, which will also insure that the Steel Pier Classic has contestable surf.
But let's not get too greedy! The fact is that we can all get stoked on the pulse that's headed our way. And now that the water is easily in the 3/2 range, the fun level is exponentially raised.
As I was cruising the web for info on the conditions surrounding this system, I found an interesting synopsis from Weather Channel expert Tim Ballisty. He gives some great insight on what's going on out there and why this system promises to send a solid round of swell our way. Check it out:
“An ocean storm developed over this past weekend near the Bahamas and it is slowly gathering some strength as it approaches the United States Southeast Coast.
The low pressure area is working in tandem with an area of high pressure centered over southern New England.
With both pressure centers involved, a tight pressure gradient has developed between the two areas.
Why is the pressure gradient important? It comes down to this - synoptic scale winds are produced by pressure differences between high and low pressure.
The stronger the pressure gradient (the more tightly packed the isobars are), the stronger the wind speed.
Clockwise flow around high pressure along with counterclockwise flow around low pressure means that easterly winds will be on the increase along the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic coast as the ocean storm draws closer.”
But as the storm pulls away, offshore winds should blow as the swell will remains.
Hopefully we will have plenty of post-swell content to share with y'all. Until then, peace out and have fun.

-- John Streit.

Visit from the Royal Navy

5-18-10 Blog

    The Surf and Adventure crew is definitely accustomed to serving Sandbridge visitors and locals that want to get active on the water.
    Most people from out of town that we take on our waterway tours and surf lessons are from Virginia communities or states to our north. But this week, we were paid a visit by some folks from MUCH further north and east of Virginia Beach.
    Coming from the United Kingdom into Naval Station Norfolk were the crews from the HMS Sutherland and the HMS Ark Royal. The guys shipped in from across the pond as part of a joint naval training program between American, British and French forces.
    But instead of knocking around the naval station during their leave, the crews decided to hit us up for three days of surf lessons, kayak and stand-up paddling tours.
    And we were as stoked to have them as they were to get down on the water.
    It takes between a week and two weeks to make the chug across the mighty Atlantic. For our guys, the trip took about a week since the seas behaved for the most part (told you it was flat).
    According to a couple of SUP tour-takers, Dennis and Malcolm, with whom I paddled around the waterway on Saturday, the trip is chock-full of tasks and training exercises. So when the ships docked in Norfolk, the guys and gals were ready to cut loose and have a great time enjoying our area's best natural attractions.
    These folks came in from a place that's more known for cool, misty weather, pints at the pub and football hooligans than surfing, stand-up paddling and kayaking; but they were total naturals. Nearly all of the student surfers were up and riding within minutes of their beach instruction and weren't afraid to paddle around the lineup and go for it on their own. The kayakers explored the various nooks and crannies of Back Bay and its tributaries while the SUP adventurers displayed great balance and style for it being such a different type of cruising to which they were accustomed.
    Check out the photos of the HMS Ark Royal's crew having a blast with us in Sandbridge on Saturday, May 15.
    Cheers!

- John Streit

From Cancer to Capricorn Premire

Reef went all out for their latest video premier, From Cancer to Capricorn.  They picked us up in a stretch hummer and took everyone to the Jewish Mother in style.  The video was sick and the vibe was up as everyone was pumped to be there.  Big thanks to Brad and TJ for making it all happen!  Check out some pics after the jump.  More over at the facebook page.

Buckroe Beach Race

Just receive the following information regarding a stand up paddle race this Saturday 5/15/2010:

MAPA will be hosting the annual Buckroe Beach OC-1/2 & Surfski Race on May
15th at Buckroe Beach in Hampton, VA. Race start is scheduled for 9:30 AM.
If the wind cooperates we will once again make Buckroe a downwind run so be
prepared to shuffle some cars. We run all divisions in one race. Race fee is
$10.

We will have a SUP race in conjunction with the canoe race for folks that
like to standup. The SUP race will be run on a shortened course.

Directions to Buckroe:

Take exit 268 off of Interstate 64 to Mallory St. Take a left onto Mallory
St. at the stop light at the end of the exit ramp. Drive approximately 3
miles on Mallory St. to the intersection of Mallory St and Point Comfort
Ave. Take a right on Point Comfort Ave and drive to the parking lot at the
beach.

There is no pre-registration but it would be helpful if folks sent me an
email if they plan to race. Message from Feda frosso@cox.net

Bill and Anne Gasset paddled this race last year and had this to say:

The course is beautiful and very safe. You parallel the beach all the way up to the finish.

Check out the Map My Ride link below. You can change the map to show the terrain and zoom in/out for a better idea of what the course looks like.

Bring proper safety equipment (PFD, whistle and your phone in a WP bag), check the weather, dress for success and plan on having fun.

This is an easy button smash for getting in shape.

Please look over the info and give either me or Freda Rosso a shout if you are planning to paddle.(Bill's email - bgassett@londonbridgetrading.com Freda is listed above)

Quick reminder from Bill:

Steel Pier Classic anyone?

Rick Romano is pumping up what looks to be a really cool event and you can use this race to gauge your readiness.

http://www.virginialongboardfederation.com/

 

It’s no secret that the surf has been flat – really flat

It’s no secret that the surf has been flat – really flat – even when viewed through the often rose-colored lenses of Virginia Beach standards. More often than not over the past month (cringe), we have been graced by the serene waters of Lake Atlantic.

Picturesque? Yes. Making us all fiend for waves? Definitely.  Outside of a little south windswell wrap at the beginning of last week, we are in the throws of one of the most prolonged flat spells in recent memory. After an active summer 2009, fall and winter; spring has proven to be less than cooperative. In fact, the last time a flat spell had such staying power was December through February of 2009 – months which proved to be the polar opposite this year. March delivered as well.

But April, oh April... Now May is shaping up the same.

The traveling surfer has scored some fun sessions since mid-March around the Mid-Atlantic, with the bulk of the action coming in the form of southwest windswells in the Outer Banks (check out these photos Josh took of me on one of these swells in Hatteras Island. We logged that session and made it back to VB before clocking in at Surf and Adventure. Pretty cool). 

But for about 90 percent of those who couldn’t or didn’t venture south of the Commonwealth, this has been a trying time for sure.

With all of this time to do mental surfing (since we aren’t really in the water), my thoughts led me to question why this weather pattern has reared its ugly head. So, I snuck out of Rob’s view at work and gave meteorologist Lyle Alexander at the National Weather Service in Wakefield a ring to get to the bottom of this.

According to Lyle, the pattern we have found ourselves in is the equal and opposite reaction from the active fall and winter we enjoyed.

“Not since really last spring – outside of a week or two in September – has the Bermuda Ridge been so dominant,” Alexander said. “It’s finally happened, and it’s resulted in some above average temperatures” which made this April the 10^th warmest on record for our area.

He forgot to mention it’s resulted in below average waves.

Here’s why: the clockwise rotation of the Burmuda Ridge – aptly named due to it’s positioning near the small island far off the North Carolina coast – has caused a southerly/southwesterly wind flow across the Eastern Seaboard. For most of us – south-facing beaches excluded – that kind of wind pattern translates into desperate flatness. Alexander said this hostile swell-generating environment is even worse for our locale, as every low pressure system following the jet stream is tracking far more northerly than usual. Low pressure creates swell, and it’s just not going to happen as long as the Bermuda Ridge dominates our weather.

But Lyle wasn’t going to be a total bearer of bad news. Yes, kids; there’s hope.

“These patterns come and go,” Alexander said. “From my experience, when it’s really warm in April and May, that pattern will break down during the summer and things should be cooler and more seasonable.”

This means that the Bermuda Ridge should pull away from the coast, allowing the jet stream to meander south as low pressure dives across the continent. This brings cooler weather, and once those storms exit the coast and enter the open ocean, waves follow suit.

So did Lyle say this was going to be a great surf summer for Virginia Beach? Not exactly, but he did say that these totally flat days will probably come to an end sooner rather than later.

As always, I’ll be keeping an eye on things around the Mid-Atlantic and jump on it when something flares up. It would be nice to get a fun one at the home break, but oh well, sometimes you got to pound the pavement to get your fix.

And like Lyle said, at least the weather has been nice.

John Streit.

May 8th Event - Camie Romano & Melanie Columbus Present "Submerged"

Camie Romano, talented artist and Surf & Adventure Co. crew member, has teamed up with fellow artist Melanie Columbus to present "Submerged", a collection of their most recent works. 

"Submerged" is a mixed media collection, many pieces with an aquatic/ocean theme.  You do not want to miss this chance to check out these talented local artists! 

There will be an open reception Saturday, May 8, from 4:00pm - 6:00pm at Rick Ramano Art Gallery on Birdneck Road.  

*This is an awesome opportunity to get a Mother's Day gift!

Rick Ramano Art Gallery 
593 S. Birdneck Road, Suite 102
Virginia Beach, VA 23451


The gallery will be open by appointment May 8th - 15th.  For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Camie Romano (757) 202 - 7444

Paddle at the "Narrows" 64th Street - First Landing State Park

Saturday morning, 0900 hrs, Bill Gassett and crew set out on a SUP paddle at 64th St.  They were invited to paddle along with the core kayakers and canoe paddlers from MAPA. Bill and his wife Anne are the areas top distance paddling gurus for stand up.  They are always stoked to pass the aloha about the distance stand up paddling sport. 

Here is an email that I received from Bill about the event:

We (4 of us) knocked out between 3.5 and 7 miles of solid SUP training at the 64^th Street State Park.

It was cool, very light wind and the work out was awesome…money in the bank.

MAPA has a core group of paddlers and they are full of aloha.

It’s always good to see you guys. Thank you for the “trophies” Rusty. Staying Alive!

More events like this will set anybody, interested in distance or race SUP’ing, up for success.

So in the spirit of Keep It Simple SUP’ing you are invited to paddle out on the Back Bay in Sandbridge next weekend (weather dependant) in the first ever “Suck Mud and Go Blind” SUP race.

Something like 4 – 7 miles of paddling in the shallow water of the Back Bay around a bunch of duck blinds.

Course to be decided race day in order to exploit wind and swell for the most fun.

We will send out another email mid-week with directions to the house and a semi-solid idea on the course.

No race fee, no registration other than writing your name down so we can keep track of who’s on the water and MANDATORY fun.

We will try to have separate SUP classes based on what people bring to paddle.

Speaking of…our kindred ohana of outrigger and surf-ski paddlers are invited.

Aloha,

Bill Gassett

Some fun sessions amid flatness

I’m as big of fan of summer-like weather as the next guy, but I equally distain the summertime swell pattern that we’ve seemed to settle into after an absolutely pumping winter.

The last consistent push lasting around a week in mid-March being such a recent memory makes this new era of flatness all the more difficult to swallow. April showers (and wind) make waves, usually.

That said, the Surf and Adventure crew, my old surf buddy Todd Elder – who I recently reconnected with – and I managed to log a few really fun sessions even though the predominant sea state has been classic Lake Atlantic.

Since that week in mid-march, Virginia Beach has been treated to just two viable swells, each lasting little more than a day at a time. The Outer Banks received its usual shot of better quality surf from both of those outbursts and managed to use its open-ocean exposure to pick up a couple more than didn’t quite make it up this way.

March 21’s evening session blew in a southeast windswell that turned on First Street in the waist-to-chest range that provided some fun waves despite the onshore conditions. Josh joined me for the morning session the following day, and conditions were better with an offshore wind, but the swell dropped a foot or so in size.  It was nice to squeeze in some fun waves, especially with a bleak swell forecast looming.

Then came a layoff that lasted until the following weekend, when another southeast blow produced a long, but soft, waist-high wave. Nothing special, but again, something to hold us over until Tuesday, March 30, which produced the shot of Forrest you see at the top of this blog.

Sick.
 

My friend Rocky, originally set to roll down to the Banks with me on this day, couldn’t make it due to work, so he connected me with Todd, who I came up surfing with through high school. We lost touch as we both pursued our college educations. As I began a career in writing post-school, he worked feverishly to save money to go on months-long surf trips. Smart guy.

It was great to reconnect with Todd, and the bond of surfing assured that we became instant buds. Turns out we are both equally obsessed, which worked out for the next two sessions we would catch.

So Todd and I charged down to Hatteras for the afternoon’s incoming tide. After stumbling around the maxed-out sandbars of northern Hatteras, we decided to surf in town at a spot we thought looked right (we heard later we should have kept heading south towards Avon, but whatever, we had to get wet).

We were rewarded with overhead, barreling peaks that pitched as far out into the pit as they were tall. Completely intense and we were both getting shacked on these gaping rights. Meanwhile in Sandbridge, the boys were scoring head-high nuggets of their own.

Then it went flat again. Virginia Beach is still in the throws of this spell, which looks to end tomorrow with a northeast blow. The Outer Banks broke the cycle for a few of these days, and Todd and I were on it for super-fun, rampy stomach-high walls in Hatteras for April 3’s morning sesh before hitting our favorite high tide spot in town for a fun-but-soft surf.

While I’m sure the OBX sported a rideable wave in some form through the next week, it took six more days for it to really turn on. Josh, my longtime best friend Ronnie and I charged to Frisco as a southwest windswell looked to get groomed by north winds around midday on Friday.

That it did, and some short-period grinders were keeping me and Josh on our toes while Ronnie filmed from the beach. Unfortunately, the zoom on his camera (we were pretty out there) and the steep, bowly, stacked-up surf made logging quality film too difficult. All the evidence needed for the booming barrels of the day can be seen in the clean break of Josh’s board.

That brings us back up to date. Hopefully the next few weeks will be a touch more active, but as you read, even when things get bad, waves still find a way around if you take the time to go get them.

• John Streit.

Getting gnarly in Back Bay/False Cape

After a week of the most solid and consistent surf of the year (check out surfline’s feature: http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/east-coast-swell_41968/), Saturday, March 20’s conditions left plenty to be desired. The swell finally backed off to traces after providing one last fun push Friday night. South-southwest winds winds blew in even warmer air temperatures and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

Word was there was still some waist- to stomach-high surf in the Outer Banks, but Josh Alley and I decided against committing our resources to chasing those kind of waves, especially after scoring super-fun waves seven out of the last eight days.

Recently, we had talked about how cool it would be to kayak from Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge – toting surfboards and gear – to False Cape Landing, hike across and get some surf.

So with the surf knee high in Sandbridge and actually pushing through in the Outer Banks, we thought a scouting expedition to False Cape would be a great way to spend a day on the water without getting out of town – a change-up of sorts to pounding pavement in search of waves. Plus, we thought we could happen across a fun sandbar doing its thing down there, possibly in the waist-high range.

Scoring surf was a fairly low priority on this trip. It would have been nice, but this was more about figuring out the best way to approach a trip like this – to see whether or not it was possible.

After glancing at a map, we learned pretty quickly that this kind of trip is suited best for an overnighter. We faced six-mile paddle to False Cape and a half-mile trek to the beach from the landing.

Still, we figured an hour’s session would still be possible if we played our cards right, so we went for it. Surfboards were strapped to the kayaks’ backs with bungees, gear, food and water were packed away in the holds and we were off… straight into the teeth of a 10-15 mph southwest wind.

This made the trip down extremely exhausting, with plenty of wind resistance and water splashing into our boats. We decided quickly that the much closer Barbour Hill Landing would be our best bet, then walking across the spit to get to the beach.

On our way, Mother Nature put on quite a wildlife show. Within a three-minute span, we saw a kingfisher, a bald eagle and a herd of deer actually charging through some shallows near the marsh. So unreal.

After the nearly two-hour, highly physical paddle, we arrived at Barbour Hill Landing ready for our hike. It was nice to use the legs after the upper body workout we just endured. We hiked around the west side of the giant dune, which is only about 10 feet shorter than Jockey’s Ridge in Nags Head, but far more vegetated. The ecosystem of the high dune and the swale below offered an interesting contrast.

After the three-mile hike, we arrived at the beach to find sub-standard surf. It looked rideable, but marginal. We decided to save energy by resting then hiking back to continue what we believed to be the much easier paddle back. After all, the wind would be at our backs.

And it was. As the sun set behind Back Bay, offering one of the best panoramas I have ever seen, we rode the wind and its tiny swell back towards the refuge’s landing five miles ahead.

Then the sun went down.

Things change in a hurry on Back Bay during twilight. Sillhouettes make judging points of land difficult, and things just look different and eeire out there.

We got a little mixed up in a cove as the sun disappeared, but Josh’s iPhone had GPS, so we were covered. We were definitely stoked he packed that thing.

All in all, it was definitely an exhausting day of adventuring through the region’s mot pristine natural area. It’s crazy to think that False Cape State Park is fully enclosed in Virginia Beach’s city limits.

But this trip would be much better suited as an overnighter, and with the promise of actual solid surf. Still, I’m stoked we scouted it out and learned a ton about what to do down there.