4/28/11 offshore storms

Wrightsville Beach and that crazy band of tornado ridden storms passes offshore last night and got a couple shots on long exposure as the sky was lit up for hours.

hoping for good swell in the morning and i forgot the sd card at the house.  it wasn't as great as people were hoping.  falling tide all morning and hard offshore wind made it not as great as hoped.

wrightsville beach surf photo

bad pic but a nice landed air

The south end crowd this morning was relatively light this morning, only about 30 people out.  There were multiple peaks to be had from Crystal to the Jetty and several nice lines.  Lots of closeouts with the bigger sets but still looked fun.  I opted for the northside of the pier since there was no one there and I some nice steep faces all to my self.

when i grow up

Met this guy once in the line up last year but can't remember his name.  Every time it is like this he is on it. Early paddle in, bottom turn and up on the tip.  over and over and over.  He's gotta be mid 60's.  He goes all day and is smooth.  Wrightsville Beach Master.  Gotta find out his name.   

south end april 13

Small today after the swell yesterday, the W wind knocked the swell down but it was rideable.  Only two guys out before I got there.  No one to hassle with and rode the log for an hour before I had to split.  Spotted some mullet in the surf so it won't be long before surfing time will have to be split with fishing time.  Later!

sw wind swell

A SW wind swell was working today but it was pretty drifty all along the island.  Holding position was next to impossible.  Most people out at the southend. 

what not to do before a swell.

April 5, 2011 Swell at Wrightsville Beach 
A crazy wind started blowing yesterday and there was no swell yet.  So I wandered down to CB skatepark to get a skate on.  At 9:30 there was only me and 3 other older guys in park.  The wind was howling 20-30kts SW and I was thinking of today.  Swellinfo was showing building seas all day and a wind switch around lunchtime.  Headhigh and offshore sounded good to me.  I decided to try and roll in.  Have not even attempted that yet as I have only been skating for 2.5 years since a 30+ year hiatus of flat ground and hill bombing on my old G&S Fiberflex.  I got the first one although it was somewhat wobbley.  After a few minutes I decided it was time to give it another try, bad idea, rear trucks locked up and I was eating concrete some four feet down in the flats.  My left wrist got torqued but did not hurt to bad.  I continued skating and after a while decided to give another shot.  I had to get back on that pony, as I tell my son, and give it another shot.  Success, although it was wobbley also.  Four hours later and my wrist was killing me.  This morning I could barely move it.  Greg at HotWax told me last year don't skate before a swell, I guess I should have listened to him. 
  As I check the WBlive beach cam there was a mess of a SW swell, easy head high and drifting mad.  The wind was still blowing SW 20-25 kts with gusts to 40 as the band of heavy shit barreled up the eastern seaboard, now it was just a waiting game for the wind switch.  That happened almost on cue and at 12 noon the wind was W but still howling in the 20+kt zone.  I went and looked at it and with a hurt wing decided to past as the drift was still strong and it still was not lining up on the falling tide.  I managed to get a window this evening and surfed til dark on the incoming tide and falling swell.  It still had some chest high sets coming and not to many people in one spot.  I didn't even notice the wrist.  But I probably won't try new shit before a swell again, but then skating is skating and if you ain't trying life is boring.  It's hell being 43.  Sorry for not having any swell pics, maybe next time.