THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 1, 1995 TAG: 9510010079
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NAGS HEAD LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
As the surfers would say - what a break!
With rideable waves 60 percent of the time, longtime long-boarders say the past four months have produced the best surfing summer in 25 years.
Even California surfers are bringing their boards to Virginia Beach, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Hatteras Island to catch some of the season's classiest swells.
Terrific waves also have meant terrific business for retailers.
``Everybody's saying this has been the most consistent summer for surfing they can remember,'' Brian Accord of Virginia Beach's 17th Street Surf Shop said Friday. ``Our sales increased about 25 percent this summer over last. The waves have been bigger than normal - and more frequent.
``Last year, you'd go two weeks or more without riding any,'' said Accord. ``But this summer, we've gotten out two times a week or better.''
Across the East Coast, from Maine to Miami, the story's been the same. The Atlantic Ocean has thrown up clean, close-breaking waves since mid-May. Pacific surfers, however, haven't seen many swells. That's unusual. Normally, the West Coast is much more consistent, surfers say.
``We've all had a banner year on the East Coast,'' New Sun Surf Shop owner Mickey McCarthy said from his Outer Banks store. ``Business has been tremendous. Even Californians were coming here this summer. `Surfer' and `Surfing' magazines have dedicated big stories to the Atlantic waves in their upcoming issues.
``We've finally gotten revenge on California and Hawaii,'' McCarthy said, grinning. ``They haven't had any waves at all.''
On a calendar in his shop, McCarthy marks the days when rideable waves graced Outer Banks beaches: 14 days in June; 11 in July; 22 in August; and 26 in September.
``Several of those waves have even been too big to go out in,'' said McCarthy, who sold more than 300 custom-made surfboards this season.
``Generally, the summer is a sort of doldrums around here and we don't get anything good until fall or winter. This season really broke the stereotype of the East Coast for surfing.''
John Hope of the Weather Channel agrees. Hope is the high priest of hurricanes for the lawyers and landscapers, doctors and dishwashers - the surfers of all ages who watch the Weather Channel religiously. They said Hope always knows when surf-producing storms are scurrying toward the mid-Atlantic.
``Hurricanes started earlier this year than usual, have come more often, and lasted longer than normal,'' Hope said. ``We've had several episodes of high surf throughout the summer. Major hurricanes have moved up the shore, close and parallel to the coast, bringing long, low swells. Normally, we don't have so many episodes of Category 3 storms - with winds 110 miles per hour and above.
``This may be the best year for waves,'' Hope said. ``Virginia Beach and Nags Head certainly got high surf from Felix and Luis.''
Mark Slagle, 28, has been surfing off the Outer Banks for eight years. He, too, faithfully follows the course of every Atlantic storm. This summer, he said, he surfed almost every day. ``Any time you wanted to go out, pretty much, you could,'' Slagle said. ``You can tell it was better because there've been so many hurricanes. What are we up to now? Noel? It never gets to N. Usually, they just get to names that start with B or C.''
On Saturday, the hurricane season entered uncharted waters when Tropical Storm Opal formed in the Gulf of Mexico, becoming the 15th named storm of the season and marking the first time the letter ``O'' has been used since forecasters began naming Atlantic storms in 1950.
Meteorologists start naming storms when they have sustained winds of 39 miles per hour or more.
Most summers, surfers are so starved for waves that when some do swell up, they skip work for the ride. But this summer's been so spectacular, they've been able to get to work and still get inside some spectacular tubes. ``We've had so many great days, you don't even get jammed up trying to get off to go out,'' said Mike Wiechec, 30, who manages Nags Head Hammock Co. - and about a dozen weavers who surf.
``Word definitely got out that this was the place to be, too,'' said Wiechec, describing beaches from Rodanthe to Kitty Hawk as more crowded than past seasons. ``I even met surfers from South Dakota.
``It was a much less stressful summer because of the killer surf.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
DREW C. WILSON/Staff
Surfers jockey for position as a wave rolls in during a big day
after Hurricane Felix. The summer featured day after day of rideable
waves.
by CNB