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.

Lost board alert & Used Distance SUPs

***A good friend of the shop and frequent blog contributor, John CSB, accidentally left his 6'0" WRV quad in the parking lot at 1st street on the morning of 3/23.  Anyone who returns it will receive a $40 gift certificate to Surf & Adventure Co., no questions asked.  If you have any info, call 800-695-4212 or email SurfAndAdventure@gmail.com***

In other news, SB local Bill Gassett has a few distance Stand Up Paddle boards for sale.  Boards are by Joe Bark.  Contact bill at bgassett@londonbridgetrading.com

18ft. Joe Bark hand-shaped

16ft. Joe Bark Hand Shaped:

Research Pays Off

In a previous posting, I mused about stumbling upon good waves despite scanning swell and weather reports. 

While that provides a special feeling all its own;  I find something equally gratifying about checking the swell, wind and tide models, using local knowledge to theorize where it’ll be breaking best, going to find it – and then –  scoring it just as you predicted.

With the resource of online oceanic and atmospheric weather prediction models, any surfer can become a backyard meteorologist. But whether or not one can apply that information to finding a surf break is an entirely different animal. You need to have put your eyes on a variety of spots covering the area you have covered many, many times to know which spot has the most potential.

So with the swell maps lit up and the wind looking like it would cooperate, Josh of S&A and I decided that the northern Outer Banks would provide the kind of wave we wanted last Sunday: clean, shoulder- to head-high and reeling. 

And on our first spot check, that’s just how we found it. We scored for about 2 ½ hours, but like so many days in the volatile weather environment of the Outer Banks, the wind clocked towards the north and picked up to about 35 mph from around 10. Just as this happened, the swell increased by about double with some straight-up caves pounding the extreme outside bars.

While the inside continued providing spitting barrels, the wind was holding us off the wave face and pushing us out into the deep between the outer bar and middle. You either had to be so far inside that a clear-out set would drill you, or you were blown into the deep.

We decided to shoot back to Sandbridge to check it, since Virginia Beach is always less windy. With the big swell holding less than 40 miles away, it wasn’t a stretch to think some fun waves could be pushing through.

Again, we scored; this time with S&A’s Cody at our secret bar working about chest- to shoulder-high and A-framing: super fun for sure.

The weather also provided some of the most eerie and beautiful vistas I have ever seen in the water on both Saturday and Sunday. With Saturday’s slack winds, warm air temperature and cold water temperature, a thick bank of fog blanketed the beach around the North End while a clean, head-high swell hit.

At some points, the fog would lighten enough for bright, ambient sunshine to light up the fog around us –  this time it was me, Josh, Drew CSB and Ronnie CSB – but thicker fog interjected often, turning the sky as dark as a heavy overcast day. It felt like we were surfing in a cloud; and I guess we were, technically.

The Sunday evening (daylight savings time rules!) session was equally dramatic, with dark rain clouds overhead and to the north, but clear skies to the west as the sun set. Golden light bathed the ocean, which was a deep shade of dark green against the gray backdrop of the rain clouds. It rained lightly for a time, adding to the surreal nature of the session (the fun waves added even more awe to the scene). Gannets were bombing the water offshore, picking off meals from a school of bait fish.

Both days were the kind of day when you thank God you’re a surfer and can connect with nature in ways most people never will.

• John CSB

Turning the corner

Last week, I paddled out in Sandbridge for the kind of session that most surfers would probably turn down during the dead of winter: An optimistic swell forecast was reduced to choppy, sideshore, waist-high slop. The air temperatures were in the 40s and winds howled from the north-northwest.

With water temperatures in the upper 30s, things didn’t exactly look appealing. If it were summertime, people would be stoked on the “little wave” they got that afternoon. It wasn’t Summer, though- it was March 4, just days removed from the coldest month of the coldest winter in more than a decade...(continued below)

(enjoy some pictures from a different session: Jon CSB's latest expedition up the Delmarva Peninsula........)

But something was different when I hit the water this time (I made the drive all the way into Sandbridge, so I said, ‘Why not?’ and just paddled out). As I took my first duck dive, the cold didn’t radiate through my back-zip the way it has been. No ice headache.
My hands and feet were hot, my core was warm, and for the first time in a couple of months, I felt… comfortable.
While the word “March” certainly looks a lot warmer than “February,” this year, the turning of the caldendar page has translated in to the turning of the corner of the spring warm-up. I don’t know by how much the water temperature has come up, but it is noticably warmer – I’m guessing four-to-five degress or so.

 

There’s still a ways to go before things won’t feel “cold.” It’s still definitely cold out there, just less cold enough to notice a real difference.
And while I dread the annual warm water crowds which will descend on our everyday surf breaks, I’m equally ready to be freed from the seal suit.
Here’s my predicted order of wetsuit neccesity as things get warmer: No hood by the first week of April, gloves off late April, 4/3 off mid May, booties off late May, fullsuit off mid June.
No, we’re not out of the woods yet, but the day is coming soon.
Look s like waves this weekend… Happy hunting!

 -Jon CSB

The Mystique of the New Stick…

Looking straight down the stringer to see the bend of the concave. Feeling the sharpness of the tail rail. Checking the lines of the rocker. Running your hands across the smooth surface that will be pocked with heal , knee and pressure dents after the first session.

Ahhh, even after owning dozens of surfboards, there’s still nothing like the stoke I get when that fresh, white brand new surfboard. And this just happened to me for the first time in awhile this week when I picked up an Aloha AF1 Pro (6’4 x 18 ¾ x 2 3/8) from Surf & Adventure. Check it out: http://www.surfindustries.com/surfboards/aloha_pro.php

The summer of 2008 was the last time a fresh stick came into my possession, so I’ve been deprived of that feeling for just more than a year and a half. Before that, the bulk of my quiver was comprised of lightly used pro boards I got from WRV roadman Drew Wynn, my longtime best friend and roommate.

So that makes this latest addition even more special. If I were 12 years old again, I would have slept with it in my bed. Seriously, does that make me weird that I used to do that?

I love all of the rituals of getting a new stick shred-ready: placing the traction just right on the tail, screwing in those fins, getting the perfect wax bumps on the deck. All the while, I’m still checking the concave, the sharpness and the rocker as if it’s changed.

I wonder if any pros feel this connection between themselves and their new additions. One part of me wants to believe that they would, since any professional needs to be intimately familiar with the tools of their trade. Conversely, it happens to them so often that they literally may be viewed as nothing more as utilitarian – the means to an end.

Shoot, does it matter? I’ll always geek out over this stuff because I’m obsessed.
I’m also amped because this is the beginning of me hitting the reset button on building a quiver. This board will serve as the highest-performance board for waves bigger than waist high. I currently have a 6’0 x 20 ½ x 2 ½ quad fish for below waist, but as of now that’s it. A step-up for heavy/big surf is also needed, as well as a shorter board of medium width for steep faces – like a battail quad.
That’s what makes our sport so unique. Unlike skateboarding, wakeboarding or even snowboarding (to some extent); our riding surface changes by the day, the tide, the hour, the minute and/or the wave. The varying conditions, sizes and shapes of these surfaces really do require an arsenal of surfboards – hence the origin of the term “quiver,” which is also used to describe a bundle of arrows.

Having various options also increases the longevity for each board you own, so while throwing down loot on multiple surfboards is definitely a short-term hit; it all evens out in the long run.

And it’ll keep you ready for whatever Mother Nature throws your way. After all, in surfing – as in life – the more options you have, the more chances you’ll have at success.

-John CSB

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.

Deep Freeze

Could this water get any colder?
While the answer is yes – scientifically speaking – never once in my 14 years of surfing can I remember the water being 38 degrees in Virginia Beach.
But if you want in on these waves that have a habit of showing up every weekend, you got to be ready to grin and bear it. (continued below)

On the subject of winter-surf, check out Surf & Adventure Co. team rider Tyler Balak charging cold Hatteras alongside VB's Raven Lundy:

(continued from above) Since the flat spell ended, almost every session has gone down in ice-cold, all-around conditions as these storms have brought cold air temperatures. Outside of Frisco’s MLK Day swell and Monday, Jan. 25th’s south swell, getting out of the 30’s has been a tall order.
The sad truth is that Sunday’s afternoon session wasn’t the coldest this year – even with nine inches of snow on the ground and air temps in the upper 20s. You see, the sun was out and the wind was light. That water is a constant we all have to deal with.
Me, Jaush Alley and Reid Ganther – way out of his usual San Diego temperature environment – tackled those frosty conditions and were rewarded at first with some semi-clean waist- to chest-high chunksters at our “secret” Sandbridge spot. Halfway through the session, a much larger north swell filled in behind the northeast wind swell for some fast, peaky action.
Looking back at the snow-covered tops of houses and the deep drifts on the sand reminded me of some of the snow sessions I’ve been a part of in the past. The one that sticks out the most was about six years ago, when Hatteras Island was lashed by a storm that dropped 10 inches of snow. Of course, the low pulled off the coast and it’s head-high, peeling lefts had just the right amount of offshore grooming at the Lighthouse.
Me and my buds were game and charged to Hatteras, which had treacherous road conditions from the Bonner Bridge all the way to Buxton. There were actually icebergs in the sound that were jutting out as they collided. It really looked more like a moonscape than the Pamlico Sound.
We got some waves that day, but the wetsuits we had back then didn’t allow for a long enough session before we were sporting blue feet and hands. I still think about all the waves I would have scored if I had my current gear.
That also got me thinking about how far wetsuit technology has come in the past three years – even in the past two years, really. It was always a struggle to get into those non-flexible things, and the accessories left a lot to be desired.
Today’s high-end surfing wetsuits are a drastic departure even from the top-shelf stuff of five years ago. Improvements in thermal lining, flexibility and seam welding have made the 4/3 into a suit you can rock through the dead of winter without any discomfort.
In fact, the worst part of my sessions nowadays is the walk to and from the beach because of the wind and air temperatures. Sure, duck diving still sucks, but not quite as much as it used to. I do sacrifice some warmth for the vision allowed by the bonnet-style hood I wear, but I get much less of an ice headache with that than I used to with my old 5mm hood. And the polypropylene shirt I wear as my base layer actually feels hot against my skin. Keeping the core warm is everything in the winter.
Alright S&A blog readers, I wanna hear about your most intense snow surfing sessions, or the coldest sessions you have ever logged. Go! - John CSB