Spring Swell

Ask a New England surfer what their favorite season is and they will almost always answer: Fall.  Autumn in these parts is indeed sometimes magical.  The water temps remain relatively tepid through September and October, the swells can range from big glassy Hurricane, to offshore groomed Nor'easters, the sky and sea are crystal clear blue, the foliage blooms in Nature's palette of yellows, oranges, reds, and earthy browns, and...the tourists go home!  What's not to love about Fall in New England.  But for a surfer, though I love the Autumn season, I submit that it is Spring that produces, if not the highest quality, but quantity of surf.  Sure it's often lumpy, and the winds aren't just right, and it might be gloomy and gray, but with the changing weather patterns, and more frequent storms, the Spring usually produces the most consistent surf.  And this year, with La Nina predominating, we are already off to a good season.  Herewith some snaps that typify what Spring surfing in New England is all about.  I drove all day on this day, checking multiple spots, calculating the iffy conditions with the frustration factor...and I ended up right back at the first spot I'd checked.  Paddled out into unruly, gnarly big (mostly closeout) drops and got annihilated numerous times.  But, I saw some awe inspiring barrels, heaving over and grinding, the sun broke through at the end of the day for a few minutes, alighting the faces and the lips in crystalline greens and oranges, and I even paddled back out (after finishing my sesh on my surfboard) on my bodyboard cuz I wanted to get inside at least one of those macking closeout barrels; I wasn't successful getting in the tube but I did survive a huge air drop that seized my breath away and I pulled a cranking turn off the bottom before the wave obliterated me and my leash snapped and I swam in, as darkness snuffed the last light of the day.  Standing barefoot in the snow as I changed out of my wetsuit, gazing up at a suddenly cleared sky, with the moon and twinkling stars, I reflected on what a unique experience it can be, being a surfer in New England, in the Spring.