OH NO SHE DIDN’T! Oh Yes She Did… Hurricane Danielle Delivers Gut Check On Realities Of Atlantic Tropical Season By Nick McGregor
“It was
sooooo goddamn windy…”
“Too much
hype…”
“Never lived
up to our expectations…”
“Nothing but
closeouts…”
Sound
familiar? If you stumbled into a time machine and went back a year, you’d think
you were listening to reports from Hurricane Bill, the centerpiece of 2009’s
Hurricane Season and a swell-endowed if not-so-perfect storm that tried with
all his might to give East Coasters some late-summer relief.
Hurricane
Danielle did the same just last week, as she raced from Category 1 to Category
4 status far out in the Atlantic Ocean. Her track and strength changed several
times, fluctuating around a path that eventually swung just wide of the island
of Bermuda. And as her direction changed, so did the wildly varying amounts of
swell the Right Coast expected to receive. (“It’s gonna be 12-foot!” “Never mind,
it’s only gonna be four-foot.”)
In the end, Danielle’s
distant, long-period nature did end up delivering swell in the very fun four-
to six-foot range, with some lucky spots scoring overhead bombs. Just like
Bill, dead-straight beachbreaks received the brunt of Danielle’s energy in the
form of mile-long closeouts, but if you were lucky enough to sniff out a
pointbreak, rivermouth, or other distinguishing coastal feature, the first
major hurricane of 2010 turned out to be quite fun indeed. Overall, the photos
below prove that Danielle wasn’t a complete bust — but she also wasn’t
the highlight of the 2010 season that many were frothing over.
We’ll leave
those “Major ‘Cane Swell!” / “Largest Offshore Wind Surf In 15 Years!” / “Historic Swell Event!” (actual quotes from
actual surf reports) superlatives to Hurricane Earl, a Category 3
monster that’s currently on a straight path for North Carolina’s Outer Banks. With Florida primed to receive record-breaking buoy readings and our
Chief Photographers on the hurricane hunt as
we speak, rest assured that we’ll have
extensive coverage of Earl in the next few days.
But let’s take
a minute to remember that, for all the frothing hype, residents from South
Carolina northward are watching Earl with wary eyes, praying that his track
veers offshore and that he produces only epic waves, not destructive floods,
rains, winds, or other damage. And if Danielle’s rip currents claimed more than
a few lives, we can only imagine what Earl will do to the thrill-seekers among
us. For now, let’s relish all that Danielle gave us, epic or weak, perfect or
lame, overhead or knee-high, boom or bust…
THE OLD IN-OUT
The 2009 WRV Outer Banks Pro Presented By Hurley Is Moving Ahead Like Clockwork
Along The Graveyard Of The Atlantic... Let's Hope Hurricane Season Doesn’t Dish
Out A Bit Of The Old Ultraviolence
BILL OF SALE Surf Expo Comes To Town Early With Lower-Than-Usual
Attendance Rumors And Category 4 Hurricane Bill Zooming In. Will You Blow Town To
Bro Down Or Sit Tight And Get Right?
