Summertime, and the Living is Hooey
That time of year is upon us. A time I crave and despise at the same time.
The days are longer, the skies sunnier, the air and water warmer. Spring leading to summer, the memories of 6/5/4 neoprene with gloves, hood, and booties distant. Remember that day in December, when the freezing rain pelted us horizontally as we paddled out into the 38-degree water? Me neither.
It’s like a countdown, every local trip requiring less gear. No need to cover head, hands, and feet, the wetsuit thins down, losing legs and sleeves along the way. Soon a rash guard will seem overkill.
The first few times surfing after losing this rubberized weight amaze me. Apparently, there’s paddle strength and flexibility found under all that excess. Unless you had good fortune in traveling to warmer waters this winter, surrendering all the gear is revelatory.
With all this liberation, catching a ride to the beach with only a towel, sunglasses, and favorite board becomes the only option. You arrive, hopeful, barely containing your excitement while running for a surf check. Unfortunately, if you’ve surfed the East Coast of the United States of America for more than 15 minutes, you know the downside. Lake Atlantic.
The "Bermuda High", while giving us great weather for tanning or grilling—or both—also harasses us with no waves. Sometimes the fates align and produce a good swell in the summertime, but it usually comes at the expense of the weather. I’ll gladly climb back into my springsuit in August if an upwelling means waves with 60-degree water. Same story if it’s pouring rain. It’s not like the surfboard can’t get wet.
Otherwise, it means waiting around for ankle- to knee-high sets, keeping an eye out for the guy who’s just learned to stand up because you know he’s going to drop in on you. If you’re lucky, he won’t, you’ll steer clear of the tourists in the shorebreak, and a freak storm out at sea will give you the wave of the day. If you’re open-minded, maybe you’ll pull out a longboard, fish, or (gasp!) bodyboard to achieve that end. Ideally, you’ll be both lucky and open-minded.
And if things get too depressing, you can always fall asleep on the sun-drenched beach, dreaming of the hurricane season that’s not too far away.