Ask nwBroweather: Volume 1

Ask nwBroweather: Volume 1, Surfing

nwBroweather has received hundreds of questions over the years regarding surfing in the northwest. And while we chuckle at the idea that we could be any sort of authority on this matter, we’ve decided to answer five of the most commonly asked questions.  Here goes.

Question 1
My girl is really hyped to get into surfing. Should I get her a lesson? Where should I go?

Answer:
Congrats! You have a cool chick. Your best bet in this case is to forward on that Westport shark story. You’ll probably want to email this to her well before the surf lesson even materializes. See below:

Email Pics:

Email Text:

Subject: FW: DON’T GO SWIMMING IN WESTPORT.

WESTPORT, WA:
While the ocean vessel ‘Dawn Raider’ was commercial fishing for dogfish, this Great White was hooked in the mouth but only resisted slightly for 15 minutes before it came up alongside the boat to have a look; long enough for one of the crew members to slip a rope around it’s tail !!! ‘And that’s when the s**t hit the fan!!  The Shark took off towing the 42 foot fishing boat backwards through the water at about 7 Knots. Just like in JAWS, the boat was taking on water over the stern and the crew watched in horror as the shark would actually jump completely out of the water at times. This went on for an hour before the shark finally drowned.  She weighed in at 1035 LBS.  It is suspected she followed a weak El Nino current into local waters in search of food.  Although mid 60 deg. water is considered ideal for these sharks, the larger ones can tolerate water in the low 50s.

Question 2
I just moved here from ______ and I’m curious about surfing on the Straight.  Can you tell me how to get to ______?

Answer:
You’re in luck my friend. nwBroweather is here to help.  Take a look at this handy Google Maps based surf spot locator to find all those hush hush spots on the Straight and more:  http://nwbroweather.com/nw_surf_spot_locator.htm

Here’s a screen shot:

Question 3
I have been a skier my whole life and I want to pick up surfing.   Will it be hard?

Answer:

Let’s do some math.  Skiing is four times harder than snowboarding (1 piece equip vs 4) and surfing is five times harder than snowboarding (it just is).  Therefore being a skier you ought to have an advantage over snowboarders at surfing.  There’s a good chance you have a better sense of balance too.  Just be sure to steer clear of those big SUP boards you see at REI.  Everyone knows that skiers like to hold things for balance so the natural tendency would be to get on a SUP where you get to hold a paddle.  They even face forward rather than sideways!  This is incorrect.

Question 4
I keep getting hassled by a few local guys.   They think the beach belongs to them.  What should I do?

Answer:
That beach could actually be their livelyhood. Your best bet is to respect* the guys that live there. As much as you might want to take it to the beach and make the charges they press on you for beating their ass worth it, they will always be there.  Be nice.

Question 5
Isn’t surfing in the NW cold?  How do you deal with the temps?

Answer:
Urine.

There you have it folks.  We hope this has been helpful, informative and/or entertaining.  If you have any other questions that you like bounce of us here at nwBroweather feel free to shoot us an email through our Contact page.  While we can’t guarantee a timely, legal, or accurate response we will do our best to field all questions to the best of our ability.

Thanks, and have fun out there.

Related Posts: