A Surfer Without Surf

In many ways surfing is about community.  It is about like-minded people sharing passion and joy for a sport and lifestyle.  The surfer, while cherishing the enjoyment of riding waves and spending time at the ocean, realises that the sport extends into many aspects of life.  The longer a person surfs the more attached they become to living the life of a surfer.  This is certainly the case for me, so even though there were no waves today I was never far from feeling like I was in the line-up with a bunch of friends

I received two text messages about surfing before 10:00 a.m.  One about the Channel Island Biscuit  from a California ripper named Chris Spirito who rode the board this weekend in San Clemente (a review is coming soon).  The other from Daniel about a possible swell that may come to New Jersey this weekend (fingers crossed). 

I checked the swell cameras twice from my laptop on Surfline to see if the waves were truly flat (they were).  I also took five minutes and checked my favorite Jersey site, Localswell run by Tom Spader.

After a full day in the office, I met my wife in Asbury Park at Twisted Tree Cafe.  The owners, Steve and Naomi were gracious as usual and the food (some of the best vegan stuff around) was fresh and tasty.  I had the Focaccia Melt with red peppers, artichokes, pesto and a bunch of other goodies.  I talked to Steve about a surfer we both know and discussed the growing surf community in Asbury Park.

Finally, my evening closed with a visit to my friend Tim’s.  He is a local shaper and an all around good guy.  I dropped Big Red off for some repairs.  As we talked shop, he told me about a local shaper that he works with by the name of Tom Mahady.  I am psyched to see his boards in the water as they look sweet 

We also talked about a “Jersey Surf Romp” this summer.  The idea is to have anyone interested bring their boards to the beach.  For those who have a few in their quiver, they bring them all along. We lay them out and ride what we are feeling, trading freely, talking performance and spreading a good spirit while making some new friends.  This is the epitome of community, and even on a day without waves I was plugged in and feeling stoked to be a surfer.