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March 13, 2009
It’s the winter doldrums for surfers By DANIEL PULLEN 
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I needed this last little batch of warm weather.
I needed it for my sanity. The weather on the islands has been horrible this winter, especially for those of you hoping to get some waves. We have had one snowstorm and a handful of other days when it was cold enough to snow. Snow and very cold weather make for extremely cold ocean temperatures. The water temperature here in Buxton dipped down to 40 degrees two weeks ago and hovered there for a couple of weeks. Had it not been for a handful of nice days, it would still be down close to 40. The slight weather warm-up has brought the water temperature in Buxton to a balmy 49 or 50. Water temperature really comes into play when I want to swim out to get some surf images. I recently swam out in 42-degree water temps, and it was not fun. I had really thin boots that had bad seams--basically the same as not wearing anything on your feet. I lasted for about 45 minutes in those temperatures. It took another 45 minutes to get the feeling back in my feet once I got out of the ocean. I say all this to you so that when you are looking at these images, just imagine for a second, if you will, what it was like trying to get them. I love taking photos, and I especially like swimming out to take photos; but if it dips down into the lower 40s again, I think I am going to stay on the beach. Spring is right around the corner, a few days away, and I hope “spring has sprung” for those of us ready to hit the ocean. If not, our sanity might be at stake! CLICK HERE TO VIEW SLIDE SHOW |
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