DEAR SURFERS – WINTER 2022

Dear Surfers,

Winter has settled in on the Northern Hemisphere and the measuring stick is out. Whether it’s tallying inches of snow, measuring the height of wave faces, or approximating how long until warmer weather, most everyone has recently experienced some inspired observations.

As we look to mother nature for inspiration during this season of extremes, we are presented with a unique opportunity to measure ourselves against winter’s mighty power. The awesomeness of the elements on display make even the mightiest of humans seem insignificant to mother nature’s force. Recently on January 17th, the western Atlantic rose to seas of 20 feet, resulting in some of the largest and most challenging waves to grace the Jersey Shore in recent memory. Challenging, fierce, and undeniably beautiful, the waves that pounded our local beaches could not be more opposite to those found on a typical day at Summertime Surf School in July. While the stretch of sand may be the same, it is two very different surfers that enjoy these opposite conditions.

Winter’s high-water-mark forces us to contemplate the steps that create the kind of surfers who embrace this extreme. Where do you fall in this spectrum of surfer strains? Are you a wide-eyed beginner, in awe of the ocean from the warmth of your computer screen or car seat? Are you a precocious intermediate, standing at the shoreline looking for an opportunity to put yourself within reach of the ocean’s might? Or has your life path prepared you for just this kind of test? Are you ready to dive into the ocean’s great challenges and measure yourself against the ultimate yardstick?

No matter your current measurement, one thing is constant… There will always be another perfect day to challenge ourselves down the road. It is up to us, to make sure we are prepared when the next opportunity blows it’s wintertime winds our way.

With Aloha,

Shaun McGrath, Founder