31 Years Ago!

31 Years Ago!

by Billy H.

August 29th and 30th wer, back in 69', two incredible days of surfing. On the 29th the beaches up and down the coast were closed because of strong currents,huge waves, and a number of near drownings. In Sea Isle City, NJ only a very few of us ventured out and the only way out was to walk out the jetty, jump in and paddle one's brains out. It was still overcast in the late afternoon and the ocean and waves were black. On the morning of the 30th just before the sun came up there was a slight offshore breeze kicking up a beautiful white spray off waves of gold. It was incredible!!!!!

As I mentioned the beaches were pretty much shut down for swimmers as rips and near drownings were occurring up and down the South Jersey coast. Actually a friend told me that his brother, a lifeguard in OC had saved two people trapped against a jetty. At that time noone gave a hoot about surfers so when the lifeguards left it was our opportunity. Aside from the sheer size of the waves, breaking way out with a killer shore break, I think the fear came from the dark overcast skies that had the ocean such an ominous black. Most surfers decided to not go out, and as I stood watching with knees shaking, and wishing I didn't have to pee every 5 minutes Eddie the co-captain of the surf team asked if I was going out. I told him I was pretty scared and when he admitted the same I figured if he was scared too then what the hey! Danny and Steve tried to no avail to paddle out through the shore break but couldn't make it. So it ended up we'd walk out on the jetty wait for a lull, which there wasn't much of one, and then dive in and paddle like heck. Only about 7 or 8 guys went out that late afternoon but the waves were incredible. Big and bodacious,and very fast. The first wave I was chicken and sort of cut across the wave just trying not to be destroyed but of course one eventually realizes that large waves are much easier to ride, and manuvering is much less difficult than small waves - speed is a beautiful thing. Eventually I got a little more comfortable and it was just incredible, huge bottom turns, and its really the incredible speed that I remember most. After each wave you walked across the boadwalk back onto the jetty, dove in and paddled back out. As the tide was coming in 42nd street in Sea Isle no longer had a beach so a few guys were catching any boards from hitting the rocks in case of a wipeout.

The 30th was surreal. A bunch of us slept on the floor of the surf shop, maybe 5 or 6 of us. (our summer home) I was always the first one up and I'd check things out and if it was really good I'd wake everyone and we'd surf til the lifeguards kicked us off. After the day before I was pretty anxious as I headed off to check things out. The shop was about 2 blocks from the ocean, on the corner of the main drag and a small side street. When I stepped around the building heading up to the ocean I could feel this soft chilled breeze at my back, and a block and a half away I could hear that distant hollow roar of the waves. When I topped the boardwalk it was one of the most beautiful visual I have ever seen. The sun hadn't popped up quite yet, but it still cast this golden glow over everything, the waves were gold with that white spray kicking off the top. It was breaking out beyond the jetty with these long lines rolling in. I ran back to the shop to sound the alarm and headed with my board back down. Maybe it was the light, or that ever so slight chill in the breeze, or that rolling hollow sound, but it was.. I don't know.. surreal! The day before the waves were very fast, this morning it all seemed like slow motion...hard to describe. I'd catch the wave and just slide down the face toward the break and then stand and crank a bottom turn, and it just all seemed so unreal. i don't know the modern terms maybe "thrashing" this was definitely the opposite the waves just seemed to embrace this very spirtiual union (I can't believe this sounds so sixties!) But everythign cutbacks, rollercoasters, whatever were soft and smooth. After some us were talking and it was like being in a Severson movie. 69' was great year and what a crew Elfie Dude, Hookey, the crotch, E, Stubbie Poop, so people still have crazy nicknames? Do people still just revel in the being there or has it changed so much? August 29th and 30th two of the best days of my life...I always say that without telling why and people for some reason always assume sex..maybe it was!

	31 Years Ago! by Billy H. August 29th and 30th wer, back in 69', two incredible days of surfing. On the 29th the beaches up and down the coast were closed because of strong currents,huge waves, and a number of near drownings. In Sea Isle City, NJ only a very few of us ventured out and the only way out was to walk out the jetty, jump in and paddle one's brains out. It was still overcast in the late afternoon and the ocean and waves were black. On the morning of the 30th just before the sun came up there was a slight offshore breeze kicking up a beautiful white spray off waves of gold. It was incredible!!!!! As I mentioned the beaches were pretty much shut down for swimmers as rips and near drownings were occurring up and down the South Jersey coast. Actually a friend told me that his brother, a lifeguard in OC had saved two people trapped against a jetty. At that time noone gave a hoot about surfers so when the lifeguards left it was our opportunity. Aside from the sheer size of the waves, breaking way out with a killer shore break, I think the fear came from the dark overcast skies that had the ocean such an ominous black. Most surfers decided to not go out, and as I stood watching with knees shaking, and wishing I didn't have to pee every 5 minutes Eddie the co-captain of the surf team asked if I was going out. I told him I was pretty scared and when he admitted the same I figured if he was scared too then what the hey! Danny and Steve tried to no avail to paddle out through the shore break but couldn't make it. So it ended up we'd walk out on the jetty wait for a lull, which there wasn't much of one, and then dive in and paddle like heck. Only about 7 or 8 guys went out that late afternoon but the waves were incredible. Big and bodacious,and very fast. The first wave I was chicken and sort of cut across the wave just trying not to be destroyed but of course one eventually realizes that large waves are much easier to ride, and manuvering is much less difficult than small waves - speed is a beautiful thing. Eventually I got a little more comfortable and it was just incredible, huge bottom turns, and its really the incredible speed that I remember most. After each wave you walked across the boadwalk back onto the jetty, dove in and paddled back out. As the tide was coming in 42nd street in Sea Isle no longer had a beach so a few guys were catching any boards from hitting the rocks in case of a wipeout. The 30th was surreal. A bunch of us slept on the floor of the surf shop, maybe 5 or 6 of us. (our summer home) I was always the first one up and I'd check things out and if it was really good I'd wake everyone and we'd surf til the lifeguards kicked us off. After the day before I was pretty anxious as I headed off to check things out. The shop was about 2 blocks from the ocean, on the corner of the main drag and a small side street. When I stepped around the building heading up to the ocean I could feel this soft chilled breeze at my back, and a block and a half away I could hear that distant hollow roar of the waves. When I topped the boardwalk it was one of the most beautiful visual I have ever seen. The sun hadn't popped up quite yet, but it still cast this golden glow over everything, the waves were gold with that white spray kicking off the top. It was breaking out beyond the jetty with these long lines rolling in. I ran back to the shop to sound the alarm and headed with my board back down. Maybe it was the light, or that ever so slight chill in the breeze, or that rolling hollow sound, but it was.. I don't know.. surreal! The day before the waves were very fast, this morning it all seemed like slow motion...hard to describe. I'd catch the wave and just slide down the face toward the break and then stand and crank a bottom turn, and it just all seemed so unreal. i don't know the modern terms maybe "thrashing" this was definitely the opposite the waves just seemed to embrace this very spirtiual union (I can't believe this sounds so sixties!) But everythign cutbacks, rollercoasters, whatever were soft and smooth. After some us were talking and it was like being in a Severson movie. 69' was great year and what a crew Elfie Dude, Hookey, the crotch, E, Stubbie Poop, so people still have crazy nicknames? Do people still just revel in the being there or has it changed so much? August 29th and 30th two of the best days of my life...I always say that without telling why and people for some reason always assume sex..maybe it was!