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This story
originally appeared in the July 2008 issue of Cape Cod Life.
8.24.08
Board Meeting
Surfing isn't just a grom's sport. Nowadays, people of all
ages and professions are hanging ten on Cape Cod and the islands.
by
Dan Mathers
.jpg) THINK
'SURFING' AND YOU PROBABLY THINK of a tropical place with palm trees and
monstrous blue waves like Hawaii’s famed North Shore. The waves of Cape
Cod might not jump to mind. But there’s a little secret that a few Cape
watermen and women are in on. And that secret is that the Cape and
islands have some killer surf. Truth is the region is dotted with great
spots for surfing, and with them scores of surfers who spend their
summers —
and, believe it or not, many winter days
—
riding those waves.
If you think surfing is just young punks grabbing a board on any given
sunny day and heading to the beach, think again. Surfers
—
nowadays many of whom are in their forties, fifties, and even sixties
—
spend about as much time as sailors do hunched over nautical charts,
studying coastlines and pouring over the latest meteorological
information, all to figure out where a good break may be found and when
the weather will create the right conditions for the perfect surf. And,
as many beachcombers know, the sport of surfing is growing
—
rapidly.
Christian del Rosario owns Nantucket Surfari, a surf camp based on
Nantucket. He says he’s seen the sport of surfing explode in popularity
during the last 10 to 15 years. On the surface, the sport’s allure isn’t
hard to grasp; you begin with ingredients like “sun” and “surf” and
you’ve already got the makings of a pretty good day. But when you ask an
experienced surfer why they surf, they often get a far-off look in their
eyes and they may start throwing around ethereal terms, speaking of the
sport like an almost spiritual experience that you can’t fully
understand unless you’ve actually done it.
“For most people who surf, it’s about just being free,” says del
Rosario. “It’s you and the ocean and nature.” He says he enjoys the
sensory experience of surfing, things like being out in the early
morning, the way the sun may reflect off the water a certain way, even
the smell of low-tide. And, of course, there’s the thrill that comes
from riding a wave. A thrill that packs all the excitement of riding a
rollercoaster, but without the $50 park entry fee and the 12-year-old
throwing up in the seat in front of you.
In recent years, surfing has increasingly become a sport for anyone.
Curtis Graham, of Wellfleet, owns the restaurant Blackfish in Truro. At
37-years-young, Graham says the hardcore group of surfers in his area
are mostly older than him. That may reflect the sport’s evolution, as
many baby-boomers who took up surfing when it first became big in the
1960s are still enjoying it. And it isn’t just for beach-bums. Everyone
from high school students to doctors and college professors surf today.
And, as far as jobs go, it helps to have a lax work schedule. “All
professions that let you go surf mid-day are out [on the waves],” says
Graham. “You need to be able to drop what you are doing if the surf
comes up.”
The Cape’s surfing hotspots include Nantucket and the shores of Eastham,
Wellfleet and Orleans. While the region’s surf might not be as
consistent as a place like Hawaii, and the water certainly not as warm,
the waves can be surprisingly big. “When the waves are good,” says del
Rosario, “they get good.” And, on the Cape, they most often get good
once the summer is over.
Fall is an especially popular time, as the water temperature peaks
around September and offshore tropical storms and hurricanes fuel
consistent surf. Once the autumn season fades, surfers keep an eye out
for winter storms. That’s right: winter. As powerful storms such as
nor’easters kick up some of the biggest waves of the year, determined
surfers don drysuits complete with gloves, boots and hoods, and they
brave freezing temps and wind chills to enjoy the surf throughout the
winter.
When they aren’t riding waves, Cape surfers can often be found surfing
the internet for weather information. Good surf often depends on such
factors as the tide, the wind and the direction of a swell. “There are
so many different variables,” says del Rosario. “Every single wave is
different.” So surfers spend their time tracking storms off the coast of
Africa, reading buoy reports, or studying charts of the Cape Cod
coastline. An up-to-date knowledge of the coast is especially important
on the Cape, where sandbars are always changing. But mastering the
region’s diverse surfing conditions has its advantages. “If you can surf
here with all the rips and bars,” says Graham, “you will be in shape to
surf elsewhere.”
The increasing popularity of surfing also has its downside: crowds.
Surfing messageboards on the internet are filled with surfers
complaining about overcrowded waves and reminding others of the
importance of keeping good breaks to themselves. But Graham says the
Cape is ideally suited to handle the rising number of surfers. “It’s all
sandbars here, so people can spread out,” he says. “Just move down the
beach. The Cape has miles and miles of Atlantic coastline for us all to
enjoy and respect.”
Del Rosario says surfing is a rather easy sport to get started in.
Unlike golf, which may take dozens of lessons to pick up, with surfing
you are up and riding in one lesson. It is important to be a decent
swimmer, he says, as the sport is 90 percent paddling. It also helps to
have a lot of free time.
“Once you start,” says Graham, “you might have a hard time keeping a day
job.”
Ж
This story
originally appeared in the July 2008 issue of Cape Cod Life. |
