Secret spots

[WaterLogged]

I wanted to get some opinions on secret spots, specifically from some guys that live in other states. I know a lot of you post pics and stuff with the names of breaks on them, and there are threads on here where people have discussed whatever spot they have surfed that day.

Stay with me...

Surf in New York is defined by three C's: cold, crowded and crappy. 10-15 years ago, you could find a bunch of golden "secret spots" around that were heavily localized. However, with the continuing erosion of Long Island beaches and the increasing popularity of surfing, the secret spot is becoming a thing of the past. Yeah, there is still a handful of places that are relatively quiet and localized, but most Long Islanders surf on public beaches funded by tax payers money. Here comes the argument - there is an entire school of thought subscribed to by some Long Island surfers that you CANNOT EVER drop the name of a spot, or God will strike you down. Even though 500 people surf that spot on a daily basis, 2 surf shops bring their surf schools there, and the spot is on every website that mentions Long Island surfing locations - we all must do our part to keep overcrowding to a minimum!



They go so far as to block the names of beaches out on websites. Even though everyone knows what you are talking about, it's just the POINT.

It just gets frustrating to me. Surfing here has changed so much in the last 20 years. Every surf shop now has a "surf school" and bring more and more people down every year, and there wasn't 3-4 surf shops in every town by the beach back in the day!!! There are forecasting websites with break names listed. People weren't able to network on the Internet and find other beginners to explore beaches with.

Surfing, unfortunately, is no longer a secret. In my opinion, which is in the sad minority, is that we can welcome anyone with stoke and aloha as long as they give some back. If they don't give any back, well then you can just get the hell out. I just can't see being miserable all of the time about "the surfing boom" when there is nothing we can do about it, and I can't see myself being stressed out over trying to keep a huge, public beach a secret where 75,000 people per week sit their asses in chairs and get tan during the summer.

So, what is it like in other states? I know that kneelos tend to be a friendlier, open bunch - but what is it like for surfing in general in your neck of the woods? If someone saw your picture on here with the name of a break in the caption, would it cause a ruckus???

[Mike Fernandez]

Hey, I have only surfed good waves in NY. Of course I only go there when it's good
As far as the "secret spots" I surf all the secret spots printed in the Stormriders guide to North America.

[WaterLogged]

Hey, I have only surfed good waves in NY. Of course I only go there when it's good
As far as the "secret spots" I surf all the secret spots printed in the Stormriders guide to North America.

ROFLMAO. Or on WannaSurf. My hair curled when I first looked at that website. There was about 15 secret breaks on there in New York that haven't worked in years.

I was like - yeah, a real GOLDEN find, folks. LOL!!!

[WaterLogged]

i was taught, at an early age, that you dont even tell your best friends where you surfed that day. i surely dont mention spots by name in casual conversation, especially with folks i dont know real well...they'll say, oh you surf? where do you surf? i'll say something like up north or no where in particular, or my buds and i give spots wacky fake names...i think thats usually enough without being a buthole. personally, i dont get the whole, i surfed here today, why dont we get all 40 of us in the water today and take over the spot. just my lonely opinion. oh, i surfed turd flows this morning-it was going off!

Bringing 40 of your closest friends to a spot is rude, and I thought that was against generally accepted guidelines of surfing etiquette.

I don't really know anyone who takes over spots.

[SFKneelo]

i was taught, at an early age, that you dont even tell your best friends where you surfed that day. i surely dont mention spots by name in casual conversation, especially with folks i dont know real well...they'll say, oh you surf? where do you surf? i'll say something like up north or no where in particular, or my buds and i give spots wacky fake names...i think thats usually enough without being a buthole. personally, i dont get the whole, i surfed here today, why dont we get all 40 of us in the water today and take over the spot. just my lonely opinion. oh, i surfed turd flows this morning-it was going off!

There's a phrase that I've heard sum it up: vague is vogue

Covering up the names like Trowt is saying is one good way

The other is is watching the communication channel. The Surf Report thread is read by many (but not THAT many.) Other online forums have farther reach.

I've posted many times on what's happening around here. That said, there's a handful of guys that get the message and hopefully benefit. I've had some good times on the reverse. It's very spontaneous, and almost always talking about a long, long stretch of beachbreak.

A lot gets factored in on which break, tide, etc.

The great debate is whether the web actually influences crowds. Alvin Toeffler has long argued the power of information. Does it really contribute to crowds? More than surf cams?

Vague is vogue is a good way to get the message out without angering folks... it's the side of caution.

We found out a couple of years ago that there's a big spread in this community on how much should be revealed. I don't want to rehash that, but that really showed the range of opinion.

A good example of 'vague is vogue' are the pix JohnS. posted recently. Insane photos! But where and when were both very, very general.

Also, agreed on the pack mentality. While it can provide predictable congestion to some sandbars here, and hence easy to avoid, it can be very aggrevating when the peak you and one other are surfing becomes the target.

Damn, I'm typing fast right now! Off to work!

[Mike Fernandez]

From the sounds of the way this thread is going, and the fact that even telling your best friends where you surfed is a bad thing, I guess visiting people on my travels in the USA would be a bad thing, because nobody would take me to surf good waves with them anyway.
I guess I should try hooking up with some Brazilians

[SFKneelo]

Hey Mike, I know you're ribbing. FWIW, MY opinion is:

1. In the end, who cares? SURF!

2. It's a 'what is Porn?' topic... you know it when you see it. Everyone sees it differently.

3. Brazilians? Wha? Paris is out? Change your avatar now... just for a little while, OK?

[Mike Fernandez]

Nah, Paris is still in and hot as ever!

[KenM]

Trowtsky, I thought Turd Bowls was up here in Nor Cal? Water Logged, One of the spots I surf on a regular basis was once in an article titled Ten Spots You'll Probably Never Surf. They didn't name it but over the years somebody told somebody told somebody...... and now it's a place you'll probably never surf without a crowd. The more people hear about a place the more likely they will be there on the good days. Unless they are people like Mike that you want to share the lineup with just tell 'em you were surfing Turd Bowls with me and Trowt.
Mike, pm me for the map bro.

[KneeBumps]

Anyone who thinks they have a "secret spot" on the Right Coast is kidding themselves. Forgotten for a while since we crawled every inch of the coast in the 70's, maybe, but no secrets. Since our swells usually change the bars, and tides rule anyway, there's no sense in going to a "spot" to surf, in my opinion, there's usually a bar or jetty firing nearby just as well, so most of us cruise a good ways before deciding where to go out. It's usually the kiddies who crowd together to show off, or a camera on the beach drawing them in - as they text each other on their cells to go to the latest hotspot.

[red]

Some of the most memorable moments I've had travelling are because I've met up with a kneelo or surfer who has indicated that a certain spot down a track, over a fence, through a paddock might have waves. I live in ongoing thankfulness for their generosity and try to bring the same Aloha to my own interactions.

A lot of people are making a lot of money out of popularising surfing to the masses. Perhaps it would be more fruitful (and positive) to withdraw your support to those companies and cut the overcrowding problem off at the (marketing) head, rather than burning your mates. Just learn to differentiate between people who may be a problem and ones who are tuned in to playing it cool.

[WaterLogged]

Some of the most memorable moments I've had travelling are because I've met up with a kneelo or surfer who has indicated that a certain spot down a track, over a fence, through a paddock might have waves. I live in ongoing thankfulness for their generosity and try to bring the same Aloha to my own interactions.

A lot of people are making a lot of money out of popularising surfing to the masses. Perhaps it would be more fruitful (and positive) to withdraw your support to those companies and cut the overcrowding problem off at the (marketing) head, rather than burning your mates. Just learn to differentiate between people who may be a problem and ones who are tuned in to playing it cool.

Word - that's what I mean. Every surf shop around here has a "surf school" and during the summer INVADES the most popular breaks on Long Island on a daily basis with an arsenal of fresh faced n00bs.

Do I blame the n00bs when they show up with 100 of their friends with rented softtops in tow? Of course not. I don't own the beach. They have every right to be there, too. I just go somewhere else that I know will be a bit more quiet. I was once an idiot n00b with a pink softtop, back in 1991. LOL.

But out of those 100 fresh faced "surfers", maybe 2 of them will actually stick with it and really seek out good spots on Long Island where they can hone their skills. Maybe one of them will want to be my friend. I consider it a disservice leaving them in the quagmire of the super-overcrowded breaks, and showing them the less crowded, nicer places to surf.

It wouldn't be about aloha if someone has the same stoke that I have about surfing is left to fend for themselves in a place overridden by kooks and idiots.

I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong, but at least I'm happy.

Oh, and you have to love Brazilians. They invented the Brazilian wax. Painful, but useful.

[WaterLogged]

Anyone who thinks they have a "secret spot" on the Right Coast is kidding themselves. Forgotten for a while since we crawled every inch of the coast in the 70's, maybe, but no secrets. Since our swells usually change the bars, and tides rule anyway, there's no sense in going to a "spot" to surf, in my opinion, there's usually a bar or jetty firing nearby just as well, so most of us cruise a good ways before deciding where to go out. It's usually the kiddies who crowd together to show off, or a camera on the beach drawing them in - as they text each other on their cells to go to the latest hotspot.

ROFLMAO. Wooooord.

I hate trying to get down to the beach, only to be blocked by a clusterf&$*k of kidlets on their cell phones, who've driven to 50 different places.

Pick a place and go surf. And get the hell out of my way.



It's funny but the people who crow the most about blocking out the names of beaches or spots on websites or not discussing them in a voice above a whisper are the ones who show up to a particular place with 20 people and 3 cars in tow around here. I've seen them so many times. Meanwhile, the rest of us, who just want to know where to actually get decent surf on an Island that is eroding itself to oblivion, show up either alone or with one or two people. It just slays me.

I also agree with you that every time there is a swell that's OH, suddenly the beach and water are filled with cameras and video. There are so many people trying to get pictures/video of themselves in tubes that I wonder if it's about the time in the green room or is it about posting the pic on a website?

New Yorkers are dang crazy.

[ScottMac]

..

[Mike Fernandez]

Scott, I think I was still listening to the Sex Pistols, I missed that whole long hair/spandex era