End of Winter • Almost Spring ‘26

Winter ‘25/’26 has passed, thank God. Freezing arctic cold and snow piled high for weeks on end! The water dropped down to 34° for most of February and now, mid March, it’s still only about 37° yikes! Got away for some spring training in the Caribbean as fast as I could for my 50th birthday. Winter always drags me down as a surfer. I get into other things like art and meditation and what not, but I really don’t like spending Nov–April in a hooded winter suit with thick ass boots and gloves yuck. I’ll do it if the waves are good enough, sure, and I know some people really get off on it, but not me. The novelty of surfing in ice and snow went far gone and disappeared twenty plus years ago!

Down south in the pristine Caribbean tropical turquoise waters, surfing with friends I’ve known since childhood, liming with my mates and godfather, it’s just tops. Plus, the tropical fruit, the delicious food, the culture, and all of the characters on the beach, it’s fucking fab. Plus, point breaks are my thing. Def can soar like an eagle on a good point break. I’m not so good at close out beach breaks like some of my friends are, but give me a good lined up reef break and it’s on! Plus, down where I go, etiquette still exists, and the point rotation is civilized and well attuned. The pelicans soar through the waves with grace, while the frigate birds soar high up in the atmosphere, whilst offshore breezes groom the perfect surf, and my 5’6” Merrick Biscuit was a perfect match for the smaller chest to head high days.

Getting off the red-eye at sunrise, then heading straight to the beach to wash off the airplane stank, I pulled up at the spot and was greeted with perfection. Head high and slightly plus perfect rights with offshore winds and only three guys out! Within minutes I was clad in sunscreen, boardies, and my hooded Volcom rashie. Paddling out white as a sheet and a little fat from winter excess, I was wondering how my sesh was gonna go. Could I still surf? Would the Ci Biscuit work? I hadn’t ridden it in nearly ten years! But, after about five minutes, a just overhead perfect righthand peeler bent around the point and began to swell and crest. I started paddling and dropped straight in and started flying down the line full tilt, wrapping one, two, and then three power turns one after next, connecting bottom turn to top turn to full rail cutty, like I had been surfing every day for years. (‘Thank God I can still surf…’ I thought to myself.) The rest of the session got better and better as I got my sea legs back. Plus, surfing with my mates, some of whom are fucking really good, it became a party and reunion! Everyone hooting for each other as we all took turns sharing waves and having tonnes and tonnes of fun ‘til sunset.

The remainder of the week was much the same, with chest high surf for five days straight and the last two days clean and perfect for a nine foot log. It was also really nice to start reacquainting myself with the local dialects both Trini and Tobagonian. Liming with my friends and godfather, sharing traditional meals and stories, just fucking grand all round I can’t wait to be back! After a week of surf and food and friends, it was time to go back to Li NY and return to my role at the moviehouse as master projectionist. After years of running A/V at the Ross where we had three theaters, I am now run movies at the Southampton Playhouse. As a movie aficionado myself, somehow the perfect job found me and put my tastes to work for the betterment of the local community.

So yeah after a week of bliss and surfing with surfer friends both old and new, I had to come back to somewhat less freezing NY, back to real life in the grey chilled northeast. But, after a few days recovering from the red-eye jet lag, some clean little end of winter waves came and blessed us yesterday, March 18th. I had to not overthink jumping back into the just above freezing cold ocean, and consciously make a pointedly concerted effort to not lose momentum after surfing many hours every day for a week way down south, finally getting back in shape and remembering how to surf. But, going from shorts and rashies to a 6/5/4mm with 7mm boots and 5mm gloves is always a bit of a shock.

I had been waiting for the right day to get back in. Not too big, not too windy, no duck-diving, hopefully sunny, etc. Once you’re out of the water for a few weeks in wintertime, you never really know how the water temp will actually match up against the online stats. The net might say 34°-39° but what is it really? Where are they actually taking those temperature readings? Will my suit be warm enough, etc. But yesterday it all lined up. The waves were mostly chest high with some occasionally bigger head high sets in the early morning, light offshore winds, a bit grey and chilly, but otherwise the perfect day to get back in and find out. So before I thought about it too much I just grabbed my gear and raced on down to the beach.

Same when I got there, a quick look, and then I immediately suited up and waxed up my 6’8” Beamish with as little thinking as possible. Perfect! Paddling out there, one of my mates had been scoring a few nice rides, so I sat a bit to the east of him and quietly waited my turn. After a few minutes a nice little chest high one came in. I turned around, paddled and went for it but ate it right quick. I was not anticipating such a punchy little take off and I was still a bit disoriented with all that rubber on. But, after a few minutes I got another little nice one and then after that I kept scoring these fun little glassy waves, one after next for just under an hour. Amazing how you can surf for two to four hours no problem in shorts and a rashie, but with that hooded winter suit on, after about an hour or so you’re plum tuckered out. By the end of the session the waves had shrunk a bit with the falling tide and the wind was starting to pick up slightly so the chill was on the creep. Time to get out.

My mate had gotten out a short while before me, so the last few waves I had I was all alone in the wintry sea, with not a soul on the beach, rather nice. Peaceful, quiet, no one around, just the way I like it. Perhaps better to have at least one other person out there in the winter but, oh well. Anyhow, I eventually paddled in, drove home in my suit, and marched straight into the shower. Def a good day. Plus, it was just barely past noon and I had to be at work by 3 p.m. so no complaints. A morning surf before work always puts me in the right mood and mind for efficiency and polish running films at the Playhouse.