November 3, 2012 - The Wall, Hampton, Beach NH

Thanks to Larry M. and the use of his winter suit, I am able to extend the surf season.  Also thanks to Hurricane Sandy for not knocking out our power and providing great long range ground swell.  What a blast this morning was!! Drove up solo and got there about 8:30 AM.  Temps were in the 40s, but I was totally prepared with a winter suit with attached hood, booties and gloves.  Total neoprene.  I think the waves were bigger than the waist high that was reported with waist to chest with a few shoulder high sets.  It was super clean with very low winds and low tide, so ideal conditions.  Lots of people out so I had to give up a few.  There was a crap load of seaweed to paddle through, something you usually don't see in Hampton.  These waves would build and you had to catch them at their peak to get them.  Had some nice drop-ins with fast rides, something I haven't experienced in a while. I caught a couple really long lefts that were about chest high and on the face.  Awesome! You know its a good ride when you end up down the beach and you are smiling all the way during the paddle back out.  Now I remember what its all about!

September 9, 2012 - The Wall, Hampton Beach, NH

Surf conditions: Waist-Head, Clean, Northwest Winds at 10-15 mph, Hurricane Leslie and Tropical Storm Michael.  Need I say more?  Well yes.  This was actually a quick solo trip up to Hampton on a late Sunday morning, a rare occurrence these days.  I chose to surf in a smaller spot on the northern side of the beach where the waves looked like waist-chest rather then the head high surf I was seeing in the middle of the beach.  The report said chest high, but there is a difference between chest high wind swell and chest high ground swell, this being the later.  Ground swell arrives in sets, some small and some very large.  Needless to say, these waves were not easy to catch.  You had to be lined up at the right spot, too far out and the wave will roll underneath you with frantic paddling and too far in and you could get caught in the lip and have a nasty wipeout.  Other limiting factors were the somewhat strong NW wind (made it beautifully clean) and the freezing temp of the water.  Seemed like 10 degrees colder than August. I could have used gloves and booties.  I only caught 2 or 3 waves, but the drop-ins were pretty big.  Definitely a lot of waiting and not much surfing.  A lot of people to avoid too.  I think this was the 5th or 6th straight day of chest+ surf.  My first hurricane surf in a while.

August 5, 2012 - Jeness Beach, Rye, NH

It was Wally World at the beach.  I didn't expect any surf today, but brought the board just in case.  Tons of people and high tide, so not much room.  Tons of kids with bic rental boards and not much wave catching.  There was a south/southeast wind so it was sloppy, but the waves picked up as the day progressed.  Probably knee-waist.  I had a couple of sessions and caught a bunch of short rides with pumping.  Many people to avoid.  This was really a surprise session since I though it would be flat.  Water was Hawaii-like warm.  Didn't need a watsuit, but wore the 2 mil top.  Melissa did some boogie boarding.  The photo is Laura going out to get barreled.  She caught a wave in lying down and she was excited!  Woo Hoo!  Fun day.  We went to the Beach Plum for ice cream and the sky opened up in a torrential downpour.  Oh, and the ice cream sizes were way too big.  The kiddie was huge and the small was enormous!

July 28, 2012 - The Wall, Hampton Beach, NH

Finally!  May was a long time ago and it seems like I haven't been surfing this year yet.  I should have got my fill at the cape Head of the Meadow trip during the 4th, but we got skunked.  My surfboard touched sand, but never entered the water due to the tiny waves.  There really hasn't been much as far as size for the month of July except consistent knee high surf.  The report had it at knee high again with no wind.  Low tide was at a good time, about 1:30 and no thunder storms or rain, until after we left.  There is a tidal river at 8th Street, so I think this is our new spot with the kids.  Traffic on the way up was horrible, but we had enough time at the beach.  The surf was clean, the water was warm and clear, but the waves were breaking pretty close in.  The ocean had a bit of a fishy smell with floating seaweed.  I had to paddle really hard to catch these waves, but I got a lot of rides.  Most were short rights, but few longer ones.  The dismounts, however, were only in a couple feet of water.  Lots of people out.  These were ideal longboard waves.  Melissa did some boogie boarding.  Surfed for maybe an hour and a half.  We hit the Lowell Folk Fest after and woke up sore the next day.

May 19, 2012 - The Wall, Hampton Beach, NH

Did he say May?  Yes! After the mild winter, there have been plenty of warm weekends to go surfing.  I haven't been surfing this early in several years.  It was a summerlike weekend but the air was cooler at the coast. Surf forecast was for waist high and for bigger in RI.  After the Apple Blossom parade, we drove to the Wall.  Tide was mid-high and going out.  Surfed about as far south as I have ever surfed at the Wall at 8th Street.  Surf was about waist to chest and clean, but faded a bit and got sort of choppy when I got in.  The changing tides might have an effect on size and formation.  Got a few rides and had a few nose dives.  The rides were very short because you had to catch the waves late.  It would look like they were building and then flatten.  There was a lot of waiting, but I didn't care.  It was nice to get wet in the ocean before summer.  I actually wore my booties.  Kids had fun playing in tidal pools on this part of the beach.   The photos were taken before the wind made it bumpy.