I observed from a not-entirely-safe distance as my fellow Garden Staters paddled through fitful bales of viscous, 40-something-degree sea water.
Seaside Park . 4.29.11
I thought this:
It seems unlikely that he’ll make that. Just look at that wave: Hurling the weight of its frigid lip over its deceptively curvaceous hips at Red Bull-vodka speed. Hollow and fast–but definitely not an easy score.
A mostly solid, greenish curtain formed within milliseconds and stretched for considerable moments.
He emerged.
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Then I watched Rob Kelly’s video (below). And dozens of other videos and images, all documenting a recent run of armpit perfection–which is different than Indo perfection, or San Clemente perfection, to be sure. (It’s still not really, technically perfect.)
I thought this:
NJ surfers adeptly stick steep drops and make it out of impossibly deep pits. (Because that’s our perfection.) And these skills seem to improve all the time, pushing below-the-lip boundaries… And maybe (MAYBE) Jersey surfers are driving some type of evolution…
Just a thought.
Water, Water Everywhere And Not A Drop To Drink 