FINALLY, FLORIDA FIRES
Sunshine State’s Flat Spell Ends With Solid Surf Up And Down The Coast By Nick McGregor
Yes, the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast have fired all
winter, with snowy barrel fests and frigid, overhead nor’easter swells arriving
right on schedule since December. And obviously the Caribbean has benefitted
from El Nino’s constant northwest winds and Arctic cold blasts.
Lost among those swell events, though, has been
Florida’s dismal wintertime situation, where water temps have been stuck in the
mid 50s for large swaths of the state since Christmas and nothing over waist-
to occasionally chest-high has popped up on the horizon since…. well, since
2009 (all of this obviously goes out the window if you’re lucky enough to have
scored South Florida this season.)
Which makes last week’s quick shot of solid northeast
swell such a blessing in disguise. Yes, it was still cool throughout the
Sunshine State, and yes, steady offshore winds did beat the waves down faster
than expected. But if you surfed Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday last week, you
know the inconsistent gems were there — 100-yard-long lefts, bowly, against-the-grain
rights, stand-up barrels in just the right locations.
It was the perfect way to celebrate not only St.
Patrick’s Day and the impending arrival of spring, but also the end to one of
the saddest, coldest, and flattest winters Florida has endured in some time.
You know it’s bad when the Gulf Coast has gotten more swell than the East Coast
over a three-month span.
And guess what? The westside has waves today and
tomorrow, making this last five-day span truly a fine time to be a Florida
surfer.
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?
