September Storms
Franklin, Idalia, Lee, Margot, Nigel, and Ophelia... all of these storms delivered waves to the east coast this past September. It has definitely been a month for the record books. Truthfully, the waves were primarily walled-up and closed-out around town, but the shoulders and corner sections were there if you were up for the paddle. Winds were an issue in the afternoons, so mornings were the best option. You just needed a little bit of patience, stamina, and luck to be in the right spot and get your reward.
There were a couple of days from Hurricane Lee that got sizable in Satellite Beach, with a few bombs coming through on the bigger sets. Check out the photos on Raw Surf and Gulfster from Lee's Big Thursday, showing just how good some of the spots in east central Florida can get... and the many rippers frequenting the waters. But as for us mortals, there were plenty of opportunities to catch some waves, especially during the windows of good tides and winds. Overall, I've had 21 surf days since rolling into town, with 10 in September. I could have had more if I wasn't nursing a torn rotator cuff. But I got a lot of rides, 218 to be exact. That's actually pretty epic for Florida in the summertime.
UPDATE 9/23/23 Below is a montage from a quick session on the 9'2 Vec Quad Log. Shot during late Franklin/early Idalia combination swell... it's every wave I caught in a half hour, cut to some Viagra Boys.
I was unable to secure the beach cam for several surf sessions in the middle of the month, but still managed for others. My wife snapped a few iPhone shots as well. The tides have been extra high due to the storms, water's been up to the walls, leaving me few options for clamping down a camera. I need to find better camera positions in general for my local spot, I'm just not getting great angles. UPDATE: video clip from 9/29/23 Below on my 6'3 Lost Puddle Fish. The last clip you can see me aggravate my shoulder at the top of the wave. Haven't paddled out since this session even though there were great waves on the last day of the month. I just need to give this shoulder a rest for a week or so. We'll see about that haha.
Below is a gallery of September surf sessions, with a couple shots of my friends from the neighborhood old and new. And I say keep 'em waxed n ready boys n girls, there's still potential for more surf days before this season is done. Also, for you newbies and beginners reading the blog, be sure to bookmark my newly updated FORECAST PAGE. I've embedded and linked all of the interweb tools that I use for forecasting wave conditions in the east central Florida area. I've included a bunch of free beach cam links so you can checkout conditions live before heading for a surf. Know before you go. And as a reminder... if you're traveling in from out of town, surf the spots with public parking, be friendly, and respect the locals. I hope you're surfing where you are!
SEPTEMBER STORMS GALLERY UPDATED 9/30/23