Hurricane Season Surfing on Fire Island Beaches
By P.J.S. Dougherty
Monday, August 28th, 2006
The spinning globe’s path subtly shifts as days wane and temperatures begin their decline into autumn. Fueled by the season’s warm ocean waters, a tropical storm forms off the west coast of Africa. The storm twists and churns . . . gaining strength, it grows into a hurricane and begins chugging towards the northwest. Though it is hundreds of miles away, the eastern seaboard is squarely in its path. As the storm grows closer, waves grow larger . . . and savvy surfers flock to Fire Island beaches.
As September looms, Fire Island rental tenants pack their bags and prepare to leave. In their minds, the Fire Island “season” ends on labor day. But what is an end to some is a beginning to others – for local surfers, the departure of Fire Island share house tenants and day trippers signals the beginning of Fire Island surf season. As the peak of Hurricane season approaches, it brings some of the best surfing conditions that Fire Island beaches have to offer.
Hurricanes, a force of destruction when they hit land, over the ocean provide the northeast with outstanding waves. During hurricane season, Atlantic Ocean temperatures rise into the high 70s. It is this warm water that gives strength to distant storms, empowering them to cross the Atlantic Ocean while maintaining intensity. In addition, wind shear – the multi-directional winds that can dissipate storms – decreases in the Atlantic during hurricane season. With unimpeded easterly winds and warmer temperatures, storms form more easily. Though the official Hurricane season runs form June 1 to November 30, the most intense activity occurs in late August and throughout September – which is the best big kahuna window for Fire Island surfers.
Waves from Afar
So how do these hurricane season storms spinning hundreds of miles away affect surfing conditions all the way on Fire Island? “A hurricane will have a swell, generating all this energy,” says Pistol Pete Armata, a local surfing legend who has been surfing Long Island waters for nearly 50 years. “From that central point, the hurricane will create a groundswell from 500 miles away. It might take days, but you will definitely see the waves are coming from the direction of the storm.”
As wind blows over the ocean, its energy transfers to the water, causing wave movement. The length of time the wind has blown and the “fetch,” or distance of open water that the wind has blown over, are other variables that contribute to hurricane season waves. The greater any of these three variables, the larger the resulting waves will be.
The depth of the ocean where the wind has blown over it is also an important factor in surf conditions. Along with the size of the wave, this variable helps to determine the “phase velocity” or speed of the wave. The larger the wave and greater the depth of the spot it is created over, the faster the wave travels. So, waves created further out at sea travel faster, and in hurricane conditions, the first waves to hit beaches are the biggest.
In September especially, Fire Island and the entire Long Island south shore,\ become a magnet for such swells – simply because these shores face the entire southeast window.
“The best thing for Fire Island is when the storms come up and come out . . . storms will get picked up by the jet stream and move west to east,” says longtime Fire Island surfer Doug Delancey. “Because storms spin counterclockwise, that whole Fire Island area gets beautiful ‘lefts’ fanning down the beach . . . during the hurricane season, when those storms are released and ride the jet stream, it really opens up more weather for us.”
That weather is the key to good surf on Fire Island – during the doldrums of July, when temperatures and humidity are high, but wind is light, stormy weather is rare, and good surfing days are few and far between. But with hurricane season, the ocean churns and waves return. “September and October bring the best weather for favorable surf,” says Delancey. “The surf changes; it tends to get more consistent.”
“This is pretty much peak season,” Armata agrees. “What I really like is right after Labor Day, when everybody goes back to school and everybody puts their beach chairs away.”
A Hurricane Approaches
Storms far out over the Atlantic will influence Fire Island waves until they weaken or duck into the Gulf of Mexico. But when a storm intensifies into a hurricane, and that hurricane takes aim and spins towards the east coast, its impact is even more dramatic – pushing a powerful swell in the direction of its path as it approaches.
“You start to get a pattern,” says Delancey. “You can watch the ocean go from being completely flat to long period swell intervals – waves start to form noticeable sets. As storms draw closer, instead of peaky wind waves, you get definitive lines – you see swells clean up and increase in size. Anyone who’s had a summer on Fire Island and has seen a hurricane come from the south, fan out, jump in the jet stream and go east . . . it’s great to see those waves get better as swells start to take a more ‘left-to-right’ look.”
But when a hurricane draws too close to Fire Island beach shores, surfing becomes ill-advised. Regardless, a fallacy remains that “hurricane surf” is dynamic. “All those guys that drink beer and eat potato chips and sit on the couch all the time,” comments Armata. “These old guys get down their long lost surfboard from the rafters and decide to ‘go surfing’ because it’s ‘Hurricane Surf’ . . . these are the guys I usually have to pull out of the water. Instances of high-quality hurricane surf are few . . . There’s no reason to ride large surf for the simple reason that it’s large. If it’s shut-down, closeout, no wall surf, you’re better off jumping in front of a truck.”
Delancey also has words of caution for hurricane season Fire Island surfers: “Watch out for the rip current – the Fire Island rip current can be treacherous, even if the waves are small and junky . . . it can sneak up on you. Talk to surfers, talk to the lifeguards . . . and make sure you know how to swim! Also, inexperienced surfers should always be with somebody, either out in the water or a spotter on the beach. If you’re going to surf the beach break, be cautious – the waves break straight down and can be powerful.”
The East Brings the Beast
Fire Island beach surfing is notoriously difficult to predict, with fickle conditions that require constant monitoring. Winds from the east and north are desirable, as noted in the surfer’s credo “The East Brings the Beast, the West Brings Less.” While praying for surf will never go out of style, awareness of these wind conditions, along with careful monitoring of hurricane season storms brewing out in the Atlantic, can help surfers gain an edge in predicting favorable surf conditions.
When conditions converge perfectly, a surfer’s paradise is born. “Hurricane waves can match up with light winds out of the north,” says Delancey, “ . . . when those conditions come together, you wouldn’t believe it’s New York. Some of the best waves I’ve ever surfed have been off of Fire Island beaches.”
As storms churn far out at sea, the most experienced of surfers sense Nature’s awe-inspiring power, and regard it with reverence and respect. The right storm will bring the waves they desire, but one wrong turn of a powerful hurricane could wash away the Fire Island beaches they hold so dear. Powerless but patient in the face of Nature’s path, Fire Island surfers do they only thing they can: arise at dawn and check the waves, every single day of the hurricane surf season. “We do look for these storms,” muses Armata. “We just wait for them. Waves are what we live for.”
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