About New Hampshire Surf Travel
For anyone who’s ever hit a solid swell in New Hampshire, it doesn’t get any better on the East Coast. Of its 9,000 square miles of land, less than 13 miles is actual coastline — but all of it’s crammed with the full variety of beachbreaks, reefs and points. Once a scattered haunt of diehard New England watermen, new technology in wetsuits and drysuits has extended the lives of “seasonal surfers” while drawing newbies from nearby cities, making for more crowds than once thought possible. But the natives still got their secrets and protect their favorites. Know somebody connected, and New Hampshire can become a cooking, pointbreak paradise.
New Hampshire Surf Crowds:
No generalizations can be made about New England crowds due to extreme variations from day to day and place to place. You could meet up with a friendly group of fellows and be invited over for a Sam Adams, or you could be sent packing by Larry the Loud-Mouthed Local after stumbling upon his secret spot. After enduring a cold, brutal winter and a flat, hot summer, don’t pull up during prime hurricane season and expect a warm greeting. These folks live for this stuff, so proceed with caution. Even winter isn’t only for the truly hardcore these days with all the innovations in wetsuit technology. Where there is surf, there are crowds.
New Hampshire Surf Hazards:
New Hampshire is loaded with picturesque pointbreaks, but the dry paddle isn’t as easy as you’d think: the restrictive rubber is amplified by tricky currents and heavy water that make most spots too dangerous for all but the most advanced surfers. Also, rocks are always a consideration.
Best Surf Seasons in New Hampshire:
1) Fall
Fall is the best time to be in New England. The nor’easter is a friendly beast. Sometimes born in the Great Lakes, other times forming off the Carolinas, it usually blows right by the southern states only to intensify off the mid-Atlantic, sometimes forming a secondary low for a one-two combination. For a solid day or two, the wind will gust out of the northeast as hard as 30 to 50 mph and stronger. Usually a 3/2 in early fall will do the trick, followed by a 4/3 in short time. By October’s end, you’ll need everything you’ve got. But fall is worth every chill. With late season hurricanes (not unusual) and the ever-popular nor’easter, it’s filled with great visuals and good vibes. Everyone’s excited that summer’s over.
2) Winter
Cold like you’ve never experienced. Ice forming on any exposed facial hair, ice forming on eyebrows, ice on your brain. Water temperature below 32 degrees. Air temps way below zero (add the wind chill factor and you’re looking at 20 to 30 below). Ice and snow chunks floating by you. Water like cement. You think this is B.S.? You have no idea. But there’s a silver lining: the surf. Oh, yes, it can get downright big and nasty. Thick, winter swells forming off the coast from snow-driven nor’easters. Harsh, cold winds blowing hard against the faces of those winter lines.
3) Spring
Spring can bring with it some fine lines to shake off the winter blahs. The sun in your face on a nice spring swell can warm the soul of the coldest heart in town. And by the time May rolls around, the 4/3 you wore last fall will feel like you’re surfing in baggies. Slowly but surely, the rubber peels away: first the hood, then the gloves and finally the booties. But by the time all that rubber disappears, the swells disappear, too. Ain’t life a bitch.
4) Summer
If you’re lucky, a Midwestern front has pushed through overnight, leaving a dribbling waist-high windswell. Be patient enough, and wallow through a sweltering July (yes, I said sweltering, for as cold as the winters get, the summers are equally unforgiving) and you might be lucky enough to sample your first New Hampshire groundswell. Hurricane swells in New Hampshire bring big, powerful lines, swept clean by light offshore winds and water temperatures up to 70 degrees. If it’s overhead, the points awaken, and you can call this trip all-time.