But on the Island in the off-season it is still a select group. Waves can be plentiful in the deep winter, and there are considerably fewer people vying for waves when the air temperature drops into the teens. As the sun dipped behind the cliffs on Tuesday it cast a golden glow over the surfers. […]
But on the Island in the off-season it is still a select group. Waves can be plentiful in the deep winter, and there are considerably fewer people vying for waves when the air temperature drops into the teens.
As the sun dipped behind the cliffs on Tuesday it cast a golden glow over the surfers. Their faces were red from the cold water’s sting but already they were discussing the next day’s surfing conditions. Although the surfers remained undeterred by the cold, the waves always have the last say.
Many surfers said they enjoy how small the off-season surfing community is. The waves tend to be less crowded and their spots stay secluded and serene.
“Surfing in general is getting a little more popular everywhere,” he said. “They keep building new wave pools in places and they added it to the Olympics.”
Ian Ridgeway, a 40 year-old from West Tisbury who is the co-funder and co-executive director of the MV Ocean Academy, was on the water Tuesday. He learned to surf when he was in high school in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Mr. Smith learned to surf in high school and said it’s a feeling he doesn’t get doing anything else. Over the past few years, he’s noticed more teenagers picking it up.
Off the shores of Chilmark, 13 surfers representing various age groups and professions paddled out on Tuesday, battling winter winds.
Ian Ridgeway learned to surf in California — welcome to New England style.
— Ray Ewing
Walter Greene starts his run.
— Ray Ewing
Ms. Bucci learned to surf in New Jersey over a decade ago and taught lessons briefly. She’s fallen in love with the Vineyard’s surfing scene, which she said is different from other places on the East Coast, like the Hamptons or Florida, because of the rocky shores. For her, being on the water is meditative.
Maggie Bucci, a 30 year old who runs a personal training business called Hatch Vitality, moved to Edgartown three years ago. She said that while surfers can be protective of their turf, most everyone she has met follows surfer etiquette and looks out for one another.
It’s a close-knit community, surfers say, one that is intergenerational.
Frigid temperatures took hold this week, with ice forming at the ocean’s edge. But that didn’t deter the Island’s surfing community, which took to the water in 6 mm thick wet suits, resembling seals more than people as they paddled out in search of waves.
“We’ll surf with people who are in their 70s and then every decade down to like 15 [years-old] on any given day,” Mr. Smith said.
“It’s a very friendly vibe with everyone that I’ve met, and we have a really strong girl crew…” Ms. Bucci said. “If you go out there with someone who knows [the surf] and can tell you ‘this is the rock you want to look out for’… it helps.”
“It just brings me right back to center, reconnects me with nature and fully pulls me into the present,” Ms. Bucci said. “When you’re on a wave, you can’t be thinking about any of the other stuff that gets in your way. You just ride the wave.”
Clyde Smith knows what to do on college break.
— Ray Ewing
“If you ask people questions, they’ll certainly give you their perspective and ideas, and you can glean information that way, but it’s mostly self directed,” Mr. Ridgeway said.
“Some people probably just don’t surf in the winter… it’s gnarlier for sure and definitely gets cold but in some ways [that’s] more invigorating,” said Rudy Sanfilipo, a 36 year-old from Aquinnah who has been surfing his whole life.
Clyde Smith also grew up in Aquinnah and is now a sophomore at Harvard University. Home for winter break, he said he and his friends don’t mind braving the cold to spend a few hours in the water.
“Your face gets cold when you dive under so you do whatever you can to not [dive under],” Mr. Smith said. “As soon as the sun gets behind the cliff we’re done.”
In the lineup.
— Ray Ewing
He explained that while learning to surf can be a solitary activity, a lot of trial and error, there are people on the Island who teach lessons, and the community helps one another on the water.
He said it’s great to see young people pick up surfing.
