Aquatic Apes: Florida Summer Surf

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Florida Summer Surf

I grew up in Florida and learned to surf when I was 11 at New Smyrna Beach.

I was instantly hooked and for the longest time all I ever wanted was my own surf board. It would be a few years before that would happen so in the mean time I had a bodyboard that kept me stoked. I got my first surfboard as a birthday present when I turned 14. It was my prized possession. When I couldn't go surfing I would read through my old issues of Surfer Magazine and pretend that I was in California or some exotic location. When I was desperate I would lay the board on my bed and stand on it imagining that I was flying through a huge stand up barrel.

I was never a hard core surfer, it would come and go in and out of my life but it was always there. When I would come home from college for summer my brother Kyle and I would do an early morning dawn patrol every Saturday like it was our religion. The waves were never good but we were getting our stoke regardless. I moved to California in 2002 to attend graduate school. It was a time of intense work and development for me as an artist so surfing did not fit in but I did skate which is another story. I retuned to the east coast moving to New York City in 2007 and in 2009 took a summer vacation to go back home to Florida. We planed to stay in New Smyrna so my first thought was of surfing. We packed the old boards and went for it. Just walking down to the water with my board under arm I knew I missed the water and that from then on I would never forget. I caught my first wave and it all came back. Granted I was a little rusty but I felt like I was flying and paddled back out for another and have continued since. This post is of images form that trip and the follow up trip in 2010.

2009 Sunset

2009: Kyle and I walking to the water for the first time in many years.

2009: It was small and windy but if you waited, something ridable would come through.

Riding a 6'6" thruster.

2009: Going on my back hand practicing for Rockaway.

Riding a 7'8" egg.

2010: The waves were small and breaking close to shore so I thought the best option was a bodyboard. Kyle opted for his Steve Forstall 7'8" egg. AKA the Nugget.