Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You should take a few surfing lessons. There will be an instructor and probably a buddy system.
*Decades ago, there used to be public service commercials on TV about swimming alone. That's never a good idea. There should be someone there to look for you in case you get hit on the head by your board.
We actually had a 25 year old Delaware lifeguard die while surfing alone in Ocean City on Easter Sunday in 2003. He was with two others but didn’t want to wait for them to go in the water. By the time they realized they couldn’t see him and went in they found him floating still attached to his board. I always assumed the board hit his head and knocked him out, (Otherwise it’s pretty hard to drown while you have a floating surfboard).
He had been Delaware’s lifeguard of the year, so it just shows that it could happen to anyone. When you wipe out on a big wave, you and the board tumbling over and over under the water it's easy to get disoriented and lose track of where the board is.
I used to watch surfers go in alone in front of my apartment in the winter (in full wetsuit of course) usually before storms when waves were larger. I used to think how young and stupid to do this activity alone with no one around if anything happened (by the time 911 would get there it’s too late). I sometimes was afraid to go inside because I felt like I should keep an eye on the person.
Not to scare you, OP, but definitely not a good idea to go in when there’s no one around but even wiser to make sure you’re on a guarded beach.
We actually had a 25 year old Delaware lifeguard die while surfing alone in Ocean City on Easter Sunday in 2003. He was with two others but didn’t want to wait for them to go in the water. By the time they realized they couldn’t see him and went in they found him floating still attached to his board. I always assumed the board hit his head and knocked him out, (Otherwise it’s pretty hard to drown while you have a floating surfboard).
He had been Delaware’s lifeguard of the year, so it just shows that it could happen to anyone. When you wipe out on a big wave, you and the board tumbling over and over under the water it's easy to get disoriented and lose track of where the board is.
I used to watch surfers go in alone in front of my apartment in the winter (in full wetsuit of course) usually before storms when waves were larger. I used to think how young and stupid to do this activity alone with no one around if anything happened (by the time 911 would get there it’s too late). I sometimes was afraid to go inside because I felt like I should keep an eye on the person.
Not to scare you, OP, but definitely not a good idea to go in when there’s no one around but even wiser to make sure you’re on a guarded beach.
But i feel I have to do this before the knees give out
till I collapse - Nate dogg
I don't think the shark worry is likely. Especially if you don't wear a wetsuit (they make surfers look like seals). You're not in any more danger getting bitten surfing then you are just swimming close to shore. NJ is not really an area that has to worry. We get some Tiger sharks sometimes but they leave people alone. Most sharks really don't want to eat people, I heard it's usually a mistake like I said thinking it's a seal or something. That's more an issue say in SoCal where the water is cold. You won't need a wetsuit here in summer.
Been to Wild Wood, Asbury Park, Seaside Heights, Atlantic City, Cape May, etc etc never seen a surfer, maybe body boarders, but never a straight up surfing.
Heck, I dont think I ever seen waves big enough for surfing.
I've personally seen surfers in all those places except maybe Asbury. Winter/off season surfing is big in NJ, apparently the waves are better. And anytime there is a nor'easter or hurricane/tropical storm in the area you'll see people surfing. Some shore towns have high school surf teams. NJ also has some native pro or semi-pro surfers, like Rob Kelly, and pro surfers like Kelly Slater and Bethany Hamilton have surfed here.
Why don’t you try paddle boarding first? Many of the rentals and classes are held on the bay, not the ocean. Not that there can’t be sharks in the bay, but I don’t think it’s common. The same balance skills you learned there will help you with surfing down the road. To be honest, if your that scared I don’t think you will enjoy surfing. I’ve dated to long time surfers in my life. Both of them loved being in the water and that’s why they love surfing. You often sit out there for half an hour or more waiting for a good wave. A good amount time is spent just floating there. To them, that was the best part it was peaceful for them. It doesn’t sound like it’ll be that way for you though. Why are you trying to force yourself to do some thing that you really don’t want to do deep down?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
