This spot cranked like this for five days. Photo: Courtesy of LJ Hepp Traveling barrel hunters have a bucket list. That list might vary depending on the surfer, their comfort level in giant surf, their tolerance for crowds and whether they are regular or goofy. But you can assume there are a few similar cylinders at the top of every tube rider’s list. Of course, on the North Shore, Pipe and Backdoor come to mind. Then there’s the Superbank and Snapper Rocks, those throaty peelers on Australia’s Gold Coast where the World Surf League’s World Championship Tour will kick off. Near the top of the list would have to be the impossibly long, crushing tubes on the remote Namibian Coast known as Skeleton Bay. Think Rincon in California, J-Bay in South Africa, and countless little gems in the Indonesian archipelago. New Jersey has not been on any of those lists. Ever.
Ahhhh yes. @robkellysurf 🎥: @thomaslarney A post shared by New Jersey Surf Collective (@njsurfcollective) on Mar 6, 2018 at 6:16am PST
But for about five days straight, some of the southeast facing coastline in New Jersey was hotter than a fresh thin crust right out of a strip mall pizza joint. And despite the 38-degree water, no one could help burning their mouths over and over again. “I’ve never had a leg-burner wave in New Jersey before,” Ocean City native, Jamie Moran told ASN. Moran has been a semi-professional surfer for over a decade and is now a partner in a mobile tech development business. “The sand was unreal. That’s normally a go-to spot for north/northwest winds and east swell, but I had no idea the sand was that good. It was a proper set up for New Jersey. There were guys getting three barrels on every wave.”
Surf scribe, Mikey Ciaramella, home from California and into some sand sucking New Jersey. Photo: Courtesy of LJ Hepp It was all thanks to Winter Storm Riley, a low that formed off the Southeast Coast on March 2 and dropped to 975 millibars with 90-mph winds. As it moved off New England, it dumped several feet of snow, flooded coastal areas, knocked out power for some 2.2 million people and uncovered a shipwreck from the Revolutionary War era.
A post shared by Matador Surfboards (@matadorsurfboards) on Mar 8, 2018 at 3:36am PST
The Caribbean had a historic swell and Puerto Rico pulled in 30-foot waves. Florida went absolutely mental for days, Long Island had a nonstop wave train and offshore winds for nearly a week and the Outer Banks of North Carolina got so big it was unridable for most of the event. But a little stretch of New Jersey got the world’s attention as surfers and photogs from all over the East Coast descended for five days of pumping surf. At the end of it all, there were a lot of broken boards … and smiles. The unprecedented sand set-up was thanks to the U.S. Government. The Army Corps of Engineers had just finished an $18.4 million beach replenishment project, the kind that keeps barrier islands (as well as homes and people) from going down to Davey Jones.
While the best surfers in the area were all on this wave, local boy Connor Willem got as deep as anyone. Photo: Courtesy of LJ Hepp No sooner had the last grains of sand been pumped into place, then the storm pushed it all south, creating something of a Garden State Superbank that some compared to Skeleton Bay. “Newmibia” was a pretty clever moniker. “I’m trying not to overhype it, but I surfed for seven hours Saturday and seven hours on Sunday and I don’t even think I got the best of it. On Sunday I made myself get out of the water at 2 p.m. because I had to prep for a conference at work … And I’m getting married this week. But I still wound up surfing until 5:30,” added Moran.
@jamiemoran_ knows when to hold em and knows just when she’s folding! #2footcloseouts #whereisricknow #wintermode #winterstormsomething A post shared by Rick Adams (@rick_adams_photography) on Mar 8, 2018 at 10:18am PST
On the heels of Riley, Winter Storm Quinn blasted the East Coast again, causing even more flooding, snow and of course, swell for Wednesday and Thursday. And there’s another one lining up for the weekend. Maybe some bucket lists need to be adjusted?
Brett Barley, of Buxton, North Carolina, logs more tube time than anyone on the East Coast, so naturally, he was on “Newmibia.” Photo: Courtesy of LJ Hepp
7 of the Most Memorable Moments of Mick Fanning’s Surf Career
Read article
We Asked Billy Kemper What He Thinks About the State of Big-Wave Surfing
Read article
Stepping Beyond: See How Mark Healey Thrives When Taking a Breath Isn’t an Option
Read article
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
More News
Famed Yosemite Climber Zach Milligan Dies After Ice Climbing Fall
Skiing in Japan Is Back Again—and the Powder Was Worth the Wait
10 Winter Hikes to Keep You Trailblazing All Year Round
The North Face Introduces Athlete Development Program
Ocean Rower Fiann Paul Completes Most Grueling Expedition
Snowmobile-accessed Ski Touring in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana
All Stories
More Videos
The MJ5: Tony Hawk on His Favorite Gear, Why He Always Carries His Board, and More
Here's the Difference Between Bourbon and Whiskey
Young Guns and a Supercharged Catamaran: U.S. SailGP Team Takes on New York City
Traveling barrel hunters have a bucket list. That list might vary depending on the surfer, their comfort level in giant surf, their tolerance for crowds and whether they are regular or goofy. But you can assume there are a few similar cylinders at the top of every tube rider’s list.
Of course, on the North Shore, Pipe and Backdoor come to mind. Then there’s the Superbank and Snapper Rocks, those throaty peelers on Australia’s Gold Coast where the World Surf League’s World Championship Tour will kick off. Near the top of the list would have to be the impossibly long, crushing tubes on the remote Namibian Coast known as Skeleton Bay. Think Rincon in California, J-Bay in South Africa, and countless little gems in the Indonesian archipelago.
New Jersey has not been on any of those lists.
Ever.
Ahhhh yes. @robkellysurf 🎥: @thomaslarney A post shared by New Jersey Surf Collective (@njsurfcollective) on Mar 6, 2018 at 6:16am PST
Ahhhh yes. @robkellysurf 🎥: @thomaslarney
A post shared by New Jersey Surf Collective (@njsurfcollective) on Mar 6, 2018 at 6:16am PST
But for about five days straight, some of the southeast facing coastline in New Jersey was hotter than a fresh thin crust right out of a strip mall pizza joint. And despite the 38-degree water, no one could help burning their mouths over and over again.
“I’ve never had a leg-burner wave in New Jersey before,” Ocean City native, Jamie Moran told ASN. Moran has been a semi-professional surfer for over a decade and is now a partner in a mobile tech development business. “The sand was unreal. That’s normally a go-to spot for north/northwest winds and east swell, but I had no idea the sand was that good. It was a proper set up for New Jersey. There were guys getting three barrels on every wave.”
It was all thanks to Winter Storm Riley, a low that formed off the Southeast Coast on March 2 and dropped to 975 millibars with 90-mph winds. As it moved off New England, it dumped several feet of snow, flooded coastal areas, knocked out power for some 2.2 million people and uncovered a shipwreck from the Revolutionary War era.
A post shared by Matador Surfboards (@matadorsurfboards) on Mar 8, 2018 at 3:36am PST
A post shared by Matador Surfboards (@matadorsurfboards) on Mar 8, 2018 at 3:36am PST
The Caribbean had a historic swell and Puerto Rico pulled in 30-foot waves. Florida went absolutely mental for days, Long Island had a nonstop wave train and offshore winds for nearly a week and the Outer Banks of North Carolina got so big it was unridable for most of the event.
But a little stretch of New Jersey got the world’s attention as surfers and photogs from all over the East Coast descended for five days of pumping surf. At the end of it all, there were a lot of broken boards … and smiles.
The unprecedented sand set-up was thanks to the U.S. Government. The Army Corps of Engineers had just finished an $18.4 million beach replenishment project, the kind that keeps barrier islands (as well as homes and people) from going down to Davey Jones.
No sooner had the last grains of sand been pumped into place, then the storm pushed it all south, creating something of a Garden State Superbank that some compared to Skeleton Bay. “Newmibia” was a pretty clever moniker.
“I’m trying not to overhype it, but I surfed for seven hours Saturday and seven hours on Sunday and I don’t even think I got the best of it. On Sunday I made myself get out of the water at 2 p.m. because I had to prep for a conference at work … And I’m getting married this week. But I still wound up surfing until 5:30,” added Moran.
@jamiemoran_ knows when to hold em and knows just when she’s folding! #2footcloseouts #whereisricknow #wintermode #winterstormsomething A post shared by Rick Adams (@rick_adams_photography) on Mar 8, 2018 at 10:18am PST
@jamiemoran_ knows when to hold em and knows just when she’s folding! #2footcloseouts #whereisricknow #wintermode #winterstormsomething
A post shared by Rick Adams (@rick_adams_photography) on Mar 8, 2018 at 10:18am PST
On the heels of Riley, Winter Storm Quinn blasted the East Coast again, causing even more flooding, snow and of course, swell for Wednesday and Thursday. And there’s another one lining up for the weekend. Maybe some bucket lists need to be adjusted?
7 of the Most Memorable Moments of Mick Fanning’s Surf Career
Read article
We Asked Billy Kemper What He Thinks About the State of Big-Wave Surfing
Read article
Stepping Beyond: See How Mark Healey Thrives When Taking a Breath Isn’t an Option
Read article
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
7 of the Most Memorable Moments of Mick Fanning’s Surf Career
Read article
7 of the Most Memorable Moments of Mick Fanning’s Surf Career
We Asked Billy Kemper What He Thinks About the State of Big-Wave Surfing
Read article
We Asked Billy Kemper What He Thinks About the State of Big-Wave Surfing
Stepping Beyond: See How Mark Healey Thrives When Taking a Breath Isn’t an Option
Read article
Stepping Beyond: See How Mark Healey Thrives When Taking a Breath Isn’t an Option
More News
Famed Yosemite Climber Zach Milligan Dies After Ice Climbing Fall
Skiing in Japan Is Back Again—and the Powder Was Worth the Wait
10 Winter Hikes to Keep You Trailblazing All Year Round
The North Face Introduces Athlete Development Program
Ocean Rower Fiann Paul Completes Most Grueling Expedition
Snowmobile-accessed Ski Touring in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana
All Stories
More Videos
The MJ5: Tony Hawk on His Favorite Gear, Why He Always Carries His Board, and More
Here's the Difference Between Bourbon and Whiskey
Young Guns and a Supercharged Catamaran: U.S. SailGP Team Takes on New York City
More News
Famed Yosemite Climber Zach Milligan Dies After Ice Climbing Fall
Skiing in Japan Is Back Again—and the Powder Was Worth the Wait
10 Winter Hikes to Keep You Trailblazing All Year Round
The North Face Introduces Athlete Development Program
Ocean Rower Fiann Paul Completes Most Grueling Expedition
Snowmobile-accessed Ski Touring in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana
All Stories
More Videos
The MJ5: Tony Hawk on His Favorite Gear, Why He Always Carries His Board, and More
Here's the Difference Between Bourbon and Whiskey
Young Guns and a Supercharged Catamaran: U.S. SailGP Team Takes on New York City
More News
Famed Yosemite Climber Zach Milligan Dies After Ice Climbing Fall
Skiing in Japan Is Back Again—and the Powder Was Worth the Wait
10 Winter Hikes to Keep You Trailblazing All Year Round
The North Face Introduces Athlete Development Program
Ocean Rower Fiann Paul Completes Most Grueling Expedition
Snowmobile-accessed Ski Touring in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana
All Stories
More Videos
The MJ5: Tony Hawk on His Favorite Gear, Why He Always Carries His Board, and More
Here's the Difference Between Bourbon and Whiskey
Young Guns and a Supercharged Catamaran: U.S. SailGP Team Takes on New York City
More Videos
The MJ5: Tony Hawk on His Favorite Gear, Why He Always Carries His Board, and More
Here's the Difference Between Bourbon and Whiskey
Young Guns and a Supercharged Catamaran: U.S. SailGP Team Takes on New York City
More Videos
The MJ5: Tony Hawk on His Favorite Gear, Why He Always Carries His Board, and More
Here's the Difference Between Bourbon and Whiskey
Young Guns and a Supercharged Catamaran: U.S. SailGP Team Takes on New York City
