There is a lot to unpack here. I have been surfing and have been pretty candid with my thoughts about it in the weekly newsletters. In the last newsletter I also shared that I will take my blogging down to one day per week. I managed two posts a week for a good clip there, but a.) I don’t want to get burned out on posting; b.) I don’t want to create so much content that people can’t consume all of it; c.) I also need to make enough time to write other things; d.) now that I am surfing a bit more I have less time to write.
The last stretch of waves — from Friday April 24 through Monday April 27 — was pretty incredible. There was something in at least the chest high zone to surf for four days in a row. On Friday the 24th I had planned initially to get to the beach at 3p and surf till dark, but as I was finishing up some writing at 1130a I saw that the forecasted swell had arrived early. Winds were light side offshore from the ENE. I had wanted to make pierogies from scratch for dinner, so I opted to drive out early, surf, and return home in time to make dinner. When I arrived there was not a soul in sight, and clean, peaky waist to chest high surf. It was drizzly and cold so I wore my 6mm Ripcurl Heat Seeker, 7mm gloves, and 7mm boots. Mostly riding the 5’7” Channel Islands ‘Fishbeard’ that I picked up in March — that’s the board that is in the majority of coach vids right now — it’s part fish and part shortboard and suits my surfing well. I thought I’d have it all alone but Bobby, the local hairdresser, had popped out just before me. With two guys and a whole beach, however, it was pretty easy to stay apart. Didn’t film this session — no clients and no tubes — just had a free surf. Was in a good rhythm with the inside nuggets that hit the bar just right. In fact I was catching so many waves that I began to overheat in my suit. It was way too much rubber. I considered taking off my gloves, but decided to stay over-warm rather than risk frostbite. As the afternoon continued it did get more crowded. I do not feel that I was ever very close to any other surfer, although I did see some groups surfing who had arrived together. They sat together in the lineup and were socializing. They also liked to burn one another and whomever else. Their surfing was uninspiring from both a technical and social aspect, but for the most part they were easy to avoid. I went in at 330p, counted about 15 people out with many more frothing for parking and suiting up as I was leaving. I got home in time to take a hot shower, hang up my gear, and make the pierogies, which we ate with sauteed onions, sour cream, and an arugula and radish salad. We’ve been into our every other weekly trip to the Union Square Farmer’s Market to load up on eggs and fresh veg. I am no longer vegan or vegetarian, but eat that way most of the week.
When I got out of the water the jetty I surfed was crowded the but the one next door revealed some empty waves.
Pierogies with potato, spinach, and onion! Both dough and filling are easy to make! I made a batch of 36, cooked 14, and froze the rest for another day!
The next day, Saturday, the 25th, had all of the hype on it. I knew it was going to be crowded so I left my house at 415a. Brooklyn is very quiet at that hour. There was still some residual moisture on the van. I suited up around 5a. I didn’t even check the surf because the buoys suggested there would be something to surf — it was 6ft @ 11 seconds. I paddled out in the dark around 515a. I wore my Isurus 3mm hooded suit, 7mm booties, and tried the no gloves route. The water was like ice fire on my hands. I am near sighted and don’t wear contacts in the water so was surfing pretty blind, but it was a complete pleasure to be alone in the ocean with an orange horizon and the sparkling boardwalk lights on the water. I did bring the Go Pro this session because I had planned to do some light coaching with Brant. The Go Pro footage reveals that I did indeed get inside of that tube in the dark and made it out through the “doggy door” — this is what it’s called when you’re inside the tube but you have to exit through the crashing lip rather than through the “front door” or circular opening at the end. It’s still a make, but just not as glorious. The crowd came on quickly by 6a. As the tide filled in a weird bump and funk started to appear on the waves. I was over it by 7a, hopped in the car suit still on, and headed to find something less populated. I succeeded, but only just, and this time I put the mittens back on. The place I surfed had about 8 people total surfing it. 6 of these were Isao Hoshi, a really nice Japanese surfer, and his crew. They can be a bit frothy and there is definitely some ‘lost in translation’ communication that can happen, but overall they are just stoked people. We waved in the water and took turns on waves which kept us apart from one another. It was a bit of a marathon day. After that session I pounded a tupperware of pierogie filling — potatoes, spinach, and onions — and a tin of sardines (King Oskar — best) in the van and headed to Katherine and Bobby’s for a high tide session. I set up two CSC boards for them — the 9’ orange and the 9’ red stripe — and we walked to the beach at least 6ft apart from one another. No one out at all. Clean A-frames with soft entries. Was home by mid afternoon, and was almost too exhausted to even edit footage. After showering I just laid on the couch with T Rock for a bit. Sophia had baked some fresh sourdough loafs, so at 3p I went to town on a vegan mezze platter to go with the bread: homemade falafel balls, homemade hummus, sauteed greens with garlic, roasted eggplant, a salad of roasted red pepper, olives, green onions, and basil. We garnished the table with radishes from last Wednesday’s farmer’s market and pickles from a jar. Here is the video of the surfing that day followed by pics of Brant on a bomb, Bobby and Katherine at their spot, and the mezze platter I whipped up afterwards.
Been working with Brant a lot through the crisis. He only surfs once a week, but he makes it count. We’ve been doing virtual pop up and technique coaching from our homes and it’s paying off in his approach in the water.
Bobby and Katherine exiting the water with the CSC 9’0'“s. This is “crowded” for their spot but those people were not out when we were surfing. Look at that fun left coming through!
This meal was a winner! Sophia’s sourdough in the near left corner, to the right of that the sauteed greens, then radishes, homemade hummus, red pepper and olive salad, pickles, homemade falafel balls, and roasted eggplant.
Obviously I’m enjoying all of the at-home cooking during these times. I cooked a lot before, but now I’m branching out and trying to make things that I would normally buy out. The falafel balls are a good example. I usually have falafel once in a blue moon, usually from Taim when I’m making a trip to the New School in Manhattan. Pierogies I’d normally get on a random trip to Greenpoint, but not now. I looked up how to make them, the recipe was straightforward, so I went for it. Sophia is working pretty long days from home. I have a much more flexible schedule, so it’s my job to put dinner on the table. Some nights I cook enough that we don’t have to cook at all the next day, as was the case with the mezze night.
Sunday, April 26th, was stormy and gray. I had been texting with my yoga coach, Evan Perry, and with Juan on Saturday evening about the potential to score surf Sunday night. I felt that my cup was pretty full and was really on the fence about it. Then I started looking at wind and buoy charts and in my deepest heart I knew Evan was right. Monday had all the hype on it, but Sunday looked like it was the goods. After surfing Saturday, Evan, a yogi of 30 years, safely passed off his copy of Astanga Yoga by Lino Miele to me at the beach. I read it over on Sunday morning and many of the things Evan has been trying to teach me over the years clicked when I read about the philosophy and background of the poses he has had me do in our private sessions. I have been struggling to keep up my practice and get confused about the counting and transitions in the poses. I get through my two sets of sun salutations and then lose interest or will power to complete the practice. For some reason reading the book — which I think is not very clear unless you have had prior training as I have had with Evan — made it all click for me. I was also excited about the Astanga philosophy of doing away with dualistic mind body thinking by focusing on the breathe as an integral part of a whole being. I thought to myself, “This is like if Spinoza added a stretching practice to his philosophy!” I texted Evan to see if he’d chat with me about some of my discoveries. He was down and we had a productive and enlightening 1 hour chat about the history of Astanga, and some of the modern updates (there are quite a few). I decided that I would indeed have to surf that evening, but not before getting a good practice on my mat in. From 3-4p II had my longest personal yoga session and some of the tension in my right hip that I have been struggling with the past three months felt as though it had released a bit.
Many shakas and mahalos to Evan for helping me with my practice over the years. It will continue to be a struggle I am sure, but I am grateful to have a guide. One day I may also do a post/essay on the significance of my tattoos.
I left for the beach at 4p. Evan’s call was right: it was firing. The crowd was pretty light, but not non existent. I pulled on my brand new 3/2 Ripcurl Heat Seeker, which is like a 4/3 because of the flash lining, but just thinner (I had bought one of these last year and it fell apart in 5 months, so I sent it back and they sent me a brand new one). I also wore a hood, 7mm mittens, and 7mm booties. It was a perfect kit. I was light and warm at the same time. At peak crowd there were 10 people out. But part of these 10 were me, Evan, Juan, Evan’s friend James, Dante, and Isao. The other guys I had seen before too and everyone was sharing waves, taking turns, not socializing beyond hoots and thumbs up through gloves. It was the first time I had surfed without hip pain in a few months. This allowed me to push more through my turns without my body holding back in fear and tension. And the waves just kept pumping. Little pocket tubes everywhere. While many of the crew tried for the waves by the jetty I contented myself on the inside and more towards the middle of the beach. There were a few more closeouts there but also more opportunity to tuck inside. Plus I felt I didn’t need to be crowded the peak. The strategy did work. I got mine and everyone else got their fair share too. Joy was palpable. The session felt like therapy. By 7p my blind ass could not see very well and I was more than satisfied. I got out, changed, and shot a bit of vid from the shore. I had the Go Pro with me this session too, and the vid of the day, I must say, is pretty epic.
Middle of the beach wave.
I got home on Sunday night around 830p. There is no longer any traffic from Rockaway to my pad, so I’m making the trip in about 35 minutes. I did not have to cook since there were plenty of leftovers from Saturday’s meal. I added some animal protein this time in form of cheese and pate, and washed down the epic surf with a nice glass of Portuguese red wine. I tried to watch the season finale of Homeland, but despite the suspense I still passed out. I had to wake up at 4a on Monday to get in the last droplet of swell.
Monday, April 27th, was the coldest day of the week by far. I got to the beach early — a different jetty this time — and noticed the swell had dropped off a ton. There were still fun waves to be had, for sure, but I was not in a hurry to get out there. Dante was on his way for some coaching, and I just didn’t feel like freezing when I was already satisfied from the past three days. I stayed inside the van and started looking through the footage on my computer, texting screen grabs to stoke my friends out, and answering a few emails from my phone. When D. arrived we checked the surf in our masks and made a game plan to surf the middle of the beach where no one was out. There were lefts and rights coming through. A little lully and inconsistent, but plenty fun looking. I suited half way up and shot video from shore. When I saw that D. was out of rhythm with the ocean I paddled out on my 6’7” Andrew Kidman (I wanted float for my sore muscles) and helped establish a flow for him (and this session I was back in a hooded 5/4mm suit, 7mm mittens, and 7mm boots). D. picked up some gems before he ended his session.
An empty right Monday, April 27th. Going right in NY is a good bet for the social distancing surfer.
After that I surfed the next jetty over with Luca. There was only 1 guy out there and still a few nuggets coming through. I was pleased to see how much progress he has made in our past 3 sessions. He is one of those guys that has a skate and snowboard backround and hopped straight to a shortboard too early. We have been working on smoothing out his paddling form — legs together, no kicking, deeper strokes — and figuring out gliding entries. We surfed together without filming for an hour, then I came in got the shot of his last wave. Luca is riding his wife, Giuli’s, 7’8” CSC “Potentia” hybrid, which is the best board for a surfer of Luca’s level. It’s floaty, fast, and responsive. Catches anything and turns on a dime.
We’re both pretty sure Luca came down with Covid on January 30th after our first session together in NJ. Luca describes it as, “The worst flu I have ever had.” He was extremely fatigued, ran a fever of up to 104, and when he was “recovered” he still felt very tired and lacking in strength. I may be wrong, but I think the night after our first surf together he either went to the hospital or was almost in hospitalizable condition. His wife, Giuli, also came down with it. Obviously until tests come out we won’t know whether he has antibodies or not. Nor whether I have them. That day — Jan 30 — we were not distant at all. I gave him treats that Sophia had made after our surf. He reached his hand into our tin of cookies. It is also possible that Dante had Covid in late February. He had the worst cough I have ever heard and it simply would not go away. He went to his doctors and tested for the flu and bronchitis and came up negative for both despite this gnarly cough that lasted weeks. He also recalled to me while we were doing a virtual coaching session that during that time his lungs hurt and he was short of breathe on his runs. It’s so wild.
Testing both for carrying the virus and for having antibodies, as most of us know, is still not wide spread. Many of us in NY have received emails from City MD that they’re starting to be able to administer tests there, but many of us are also wary of going into public health offices. Hospitals seem to have treatment under control, but people are still getting crazy sick and dying as a result of the virus. Tensions are very high between those who feel they are doing a better job than others of observing the new social distancing and mask wearing norms and those they perceive who are not. I, for one, have lightened up my attitude towards people, especially surfers, who are not making proper space. I just stay away from them. At this point I am close to convinced we cannot get it while surfing, but I’ll be the first one to announce should I fall ill and suspect surfing is the cause. As this blog post attests, I am keeping myself accountable for the times I leave the house, the people I come into contact with, and the surfaces that I touch.
I haven’t lightened up on any of my protocols. No one has been riding with me in the van. I am still wearing a mask to check the surf, not touching railings or public objects, not stopping for food or water, and since I’ve limited my surfing to Rockaway, which is about 6 miles from my house in Central Brooklyn, I don’t get gas very often. The protocol at the pump is pretty easy: wipe down the pump machine buttons with an alcohol pad, use gloves to pump the gas, discard gloves when done, wipe down steering wheel and shifter and radio controls, and iphone with alcohol pad, drive off.
There are more people surfing on the east coast now than usual in April. There are two main causes for this: many of people are working from home or not working, and there has been a lot of swell. In general when there are waves on the east coast, people make the time to go out. But we are not having the problems that people are having on the west coast. The most surfers I have counted at one break at one time was 30. This is a lot, but that is the most I have counted. Mostly I’m seeing crowds top out at about 10-11 surfers. I am seeing images of 100s of surfers at certain breaks in CA right now. They have been having lots of swell and nice weather. Things look like they have only gotten worse there with partial beach closures in certain counties, which makes surfers travel away from their home county to surf. Beaches are filled with sun bathers. Sustained contact with other humans is the way that this thing spreads, so if people are going to beaches to do anything other than surf and get out of the water, it’s a public health hazard. I am not sure what is going on in terms of public habits of buying food and gas and eating in public on these outdoor excursions that people are having. One thing is for sure, the fact that many people are not working is a mess on many levels. I do not have a solution to fix the mess. I can only say what it is.
One thing keeping us able to surf here in NY is that our weather sucks. It’s cold and drizzly and not fun to be on the beach. And also we have the east coast notion that our beaches are technically closed to the public this time of year already. This has always been a weird concept for me to wrap my head around, but generally the inlanders will not flock to beaches unless there are lifeguards on duty, which is only Memorial Day-Labor Day. That is “the season” for going to beaches by the public at large. I imagine beaches will remain “closed” for the summer, but I am not sure what this will look like for us NY and NJ surfers. I don’t even know if Cuomo and De Blasio know we exist.
Another thing I will say is that I notice a change in myself in my level of anxiety and fear. As my anxiety decreases I feel less passionate about policing others. The higher the anxiety the more I am on red alert to lash out at others. All I can do is be accountable for myself and for those that I come into contact with. The only person I have had a face to face, maskless, less than 6ft distant, conversation with in the past 6 weeks is my partner, Sophia. We go grocery shopping 1x every other week, and do laundry in our laundry mat 1x per month (yes, the piles are intense in the house by week 3).
I feel fortunate that I have figured out new ways to reach out and support the CSC community with new virtual educational opportunities, and with continued light coaching at the beach and in the water. My surf theory 101 course is still in creation mode, but I hope to have a full program designed by June 1. Same goes for a kids program, and continued re-tooling of packages to contain the virtual coaching sessions at home. These work. They really really do. Please reach out whether or not you’re in a package to get one under your belt. Guaranteed there are things you can do at home that you’re missing to help you surf better when you get back in the water.
Life will not be “normal” for quite some time. Surfing feels therapeutic, but there is still the risk of injury. I have been conscious of this and am not taking unnecessary risks in terms of wave judgment. Wiping out is fine. Needing to take a wave when someone is in your path is another thing altogether. Just don’t do it. To those that still want to say it’s a selfish thing to surf when everyone else is staying at home, I hear you. I know that there will also be waves in the future. But, per my Aristotle article, I still believe in a middle path. Overall I think it’s going to be more highly reasoned and self regulating solutions that will help get us through this thing and beyond. We need widespread testing and contact tracing. I recommend that most people keep some kind of “plague diary” of where you go and what you do so that should you fall ill you can be contact traced. Mine is a calendar hanging on the fridge.
Like many others, I will continue to read and listen to new reports. I will continue to cook and experiment in the kitchen. One of my favorite new things is to make stuff that normally comes packaged like tortillas, crackers, and above-mentioned pierogies. Gotta keep up the yoga practice, the writing, and even try to read some actual physical books from cover to cover (that may be a stretch). And I assume that for quite some time the only places I will go that are not my house will be the grocery store, the laundry mat, the local park to walk the dog, and to the ocean for salt water therapy.