How one surfer found refuge in the wave of Rockaway Beach during the pandemic
The day I decided it was time to get back to surfing, the local report described ocean conditions where I live in Rockaway Beach, N.Y. as “very poor” with waves that were “only one-foot dribble.”
In Rockaway, an 11-mile peninsula that forms the last barrier between the southern reaches of New York City and the might of the Atlantic Ocean, the biggest waves tend to come in the fall, during hurricane season, when storms churning over the Caribbean and toward the East Coast pump seemingly boundless energy into the ocean.
I’ve managed a few shoulder-high waves along the way. They were exhilarating, and I wouldn’t mind catching more. But I’m still at my happiest in the small ones, especially the mushy little nuggets we get in Rockaway during the summer. While I know I’m never going to have the ride of my life on one of those ankle-biters, I’m probably not going to have the ride of my death, either – and there’s something to be said for that.
But it wasn’t until I went out for my first pandemic surf session last month that I realized what I love most about small waves. It was early morning – maybe 6 or 6:30 – when I topped up the wax on my board and headed to the beach. It was foggy and quiet and mercifully uncrowded, with the cloud cover rendering the ocean surface grey and metallic, like molten silver.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
James Beard Employees Demand More Diversity in Leadership, Salary Transparency in Internal LetterAn anonymous James Beard Foundation employee says calls for diversity have been 'met with more gaslighting and deferred action'
Read more »
Banks are closing credit cards and slashing credit limits amid the pandemic, survey findsOne in 4 Americans with credit cards said they had an account involuntarily shut down from mid-May to mid-July, while 1 in 3 said their credit limit was reduced, according to a new report from CompareCards.com.
Read more »
These beaten-down small and mid-cap stocks are poised for a rebound, Barclays saysBarclays found a number of high-conviction names with improving near-term fundamentals and resilient business models in the midst of the pandemic.
Read more »
I Finally Met My Pandemic Boyfriend — and He Had Another Girlfriend'I texted him, eager to schedule our next socially distanced date. But he had something to tell me...' –schwarkattack
Read more »
Corona Capital: UK retail, Pearson, Chinese buysConcise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: Britain’s retail recovery looks patchy; Pearson’s pandemic woes; Chinese buyers of Western assets get whacked.
Read more »