The Great White North.

 If you’re at all familiar with this blog, then you’ve already had a taste of my near-obsession (OK, full-blown obsession) with trying to predict where the best possible waves will be breaking within a reasonable day’s drive of Virginia Beach.

When work and other obligations allow, that’s where I’ll most likely be alongside fellow wintertime charger Jausch of S&A.
Big deal, right? People always head “Down South” for that extra juice VB nearly always lacks.

But most VB surfers don’t consider the long stretch of largely untapped coast that lies just over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel which provides a whole different set of options and opportunities. The following (somewhat) documents a recent expedition along the Delmarva coast. The names and places have been omitted to protect their secrecy.
Let’s get this out of the way now: about 90 percent of the Virginia’s Eastern Shore is protected by uninhabited – and this unconnected and unpaved – barrier spits and islands that are much more jagged than the likes of Sandbridge, the northern Outer Banks and Hatteras Island. That geography creates a jackpot of coves, sandy points and beach breaks: a full-on buffet for anyone… with access to a boat or jetski, or is willing to hike or paddle long distances. A handful of VB heads have some spots wired, but they aren’t talking. Interested parties should do a Google Earth search and see what looks good.
But why drop $17 in tolls to get waves when the drive south is free? The answer lies in local geography. Look at a map: VB lies in a little nook further west than the surrounding coastline, facing east-northeast. This cuts down our exposure to both steep north swells and south/southwest swells. But the Shore faces east-southeast, and protrudes further out to sea. Its angle receives all the steep stuff that misses VB – as well as everything we normally get. Additionally, some of these spots offer world-class breaks.
Another great draw of that beach direction is its ability to make north-northwest winds – which make VB a sideshore mess – into a nearly 45-degree offshore wind. During the winter months, these blows often follow low-pressure systems, so while VB looks like a washing machine; our northern neighbors are scoring much, much cleaner conditions.

Last week, Jausch, Brett Carey and I decided to scout a new spot somewhere up there. We knew heading in that we had some heavy obstacles to overcome to find this spot – either paddling through a sound, walking across snow-covered fields and miles of beach to reach our destination.
After a tedious drive through snow-packed, icy roads; we arrived at our spot only to find an impassible situation. Upon turning around to scout another option, we ran into a couple of surfers from Portsmouth who had the same ideas as us. They became our traveling partners for the day, and everyone got stoked on that.
Those guys – Duke and his buddy (sorry bro, can’t remember your name) – had checked another spot on our radar, so we decided to see what was good. After another sketchy drive and doing what had to be done to get to there, we were rewarded with head-high, textured-but-clean peaks; most of which peeling left.
Needless to say, it was a short session due to sub-freezing temperatures and a heavy offshore wind, but we scored some solid surf. All it took was a little intuition, a whole lot of effort and every piece of rubber we could muster between us.
If anyone reading this decides to scout some spots of their own, PLEASE do so with CAUTION. The various inlets can create strong rip currents; and you got to make sure you’re hydrated and packing the appropriate gear to make either a long paddle, walk or both to tap into your own secret sandbar.
Or you can hunt down someone with a boat and go exploring. Either way, the Eastern Shore and the rest of the Delmarva coast offers limitless wave potential when VB is probably lacking.
-    John CSB.