Anyone surf?

[RachelV]

In my continuing quest for a summer hobby to fill the weekends until the 08-09 ski season, I think I'm going to give surfing a try this year. A friend's boyfriend is really into it -- apparently you can take the train to Long Beach, Long Island from NYC pretty cheaply and easily, and it's a decent place to surf. I took one lesson in Hawaii in October '06 and it went pretty well. I'm really excited to give it a try locally for a few weekends and see how it goes.

Anyone around here surf? At the very least, I'm looking forward to buying some new gear. ;)

 

[Eliza]

Hi Rachelv,

Sorry, just saw this post! I've been surfing off and on for about 7 years now (I live in Santa Barbara, CA). It's a great workout, and a ton of fun. The only bummer here is that our good surf season is winter, which interferes with the ski season.

You can definitely spend $$ on new gear too! I think I topped out at 7 (??) boards. I hope you have fun learning! Let me know if you have questions or anything.

Liz

 

[Bing]

Well, not yet, but we're heading to Hawaii for Christmas and I am sooooo taking a lesson. Hubby has told me I won't be able to get up ... riiiiiiight.

Bing

 

[oragejuice]

Surfing is fantastic! I love it! I learned a couple of years ago, its addicting.

 

[num]

Haven't done it, but would love to give it a try. Doesn't work with my home base, so it's the kind of thing that I could only develop so much.

I always meant to try it out when I was at UCLA, but never got to it.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

rachelv, I learned to surf at that same location. Never mind what year. Decades ago. Waves were ridiculous, as a hurricane had just gone out to sea. 6+ ft. So definitely go for it!

Okay, now to turn off the old Beach Boys surfing songs in my brain....

 

[Kiragirl]

my sister has a surf board (lives in FL) and has done it a bunch of times. last time we were at the beach we saw a guy standing on a board with a long paddle, paddling around. (He was ob an excellent surfer and learning something new) She was very into it and wants to try that.

I'd love to try but can't see without contacts, maybe swim goggles would work.

"Surfin U S AAAAAA"

 

[marta]

Bumping up this old thread. I went to a fantastic women's only surf camp right here in New Jersey this summer. Surfing's another totally male-dominated sport. But we chicas are making headway into the lineup in full force! I stink, and it's gonna take a long long while to really master it, but it's such addicting fun. And with NJ having 130 miles of coastline full of sandbars and jettys, and dedicated surf beaches....
Next summer we should try to get together an east coast surf-divas outing!

 

[RachelV]

Ha, wow, blast from the past. I didn't really get into surfing. It was a ton of fun, not not quite fun enough to make up for the fact that I had to spend all day at the beach to do it. ;) And I live in Colorado now, so that's that for surfing, I guess.

 

[ski diva]

I almost hate to say I don't surf, though I grew up on the Jersey shore and my brother, who still lives there, has been surfing since 1968. Now I live in Vermont, so it's a bit too difficult to manage.

Shoulda, coulda. A missed opportunity.

 

[marta]

Wendy if you're ever visiting your brother in the summer, you should join me at this women's camp! It's in Brick!
It's never too late to start...

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

I'm not a "real surfer" but I have done it several times (like 6) on vacations in Hawaii. Every time I come back from Hawaii I'm all charged up about surfing and I vow to continue during summers on the east coast and then it never happens! I wimp out due to the fact that our water is cold! I love doing it when I'm in Hawaii; the feeling of exhilaration when you know you've caught the wave and nothing else matters at that moment except riding that wave to the best of your ability.

I just got back from another trip to Hawaii where I surfed a few times and the cycle is repeating; now I want to continue working on my surfing. Maybe this time it will actually happen.

 

[marta]

Ah but the water is not cold here in the east! All summer long, from about mid/end of June to September, I was in a bikini with just a rash guard t-shirt. The water is much warmer here in NJ than California! ;)
I love Hawaii too, I hit the surf while DH goes out golfing. We both love to ski, but in the summer we go our separate ways! :o

 

[vanhoskier]

I took a paddle surf lesson in NJ this past August....it was fun but so tiring! Prior to trying to surf, the instructor and I did a 3 mile open ocean paddle, so I was a little tired. In trying to surf, I'd stay up for a bit then fall off, over and over. The hardest part was grabbing the board while being sucked out by the undertow. I was on a 12.5' coastal runner; it would have probably been easier on a shorter board! I'm thinking of taking a few more lessons in NJ next summer.

The water was nice and warm, warmer than it was in Hawaii in July. And MUCH warmer than in CA!

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

No doubt the water is warmer than in CA, but I live in MA and find the water on our north shore beaches to be too cold for me! I'd probably have to invest in a wetsuit. I get cold easily in the water--even in Hawaii or the Caribbean I can only stay submerged snorkeling about 30 min before I have to get out. They do have surfing on the NH coast or RI . . .so maybe I can give it a try.