Crystals:
It’s said that people go to Florida to retire and they go to Atlantic City to die. Spend any time along the boardwalk, and you’ll agree. Get out while you still can!
Actually, the surf in and around Atlantic City can be quite appealing, and a night in the casinos is a pocket-emptying experience you’ll never forget. It’s the area between the blackjack table and the ocean that is the worst. It’s dirty, smelly and strewn with McDonald’s wrappers. But, like Phil Edwards said, “I just walk across the beach to get to the waves.”
At Crystals, big nor’easter-spawned lefts break off a rock jetty at the north end of Atlantic City next to Absecon Inlet. It’s the cleanest spot in Atlantic City with a northeast wind, as the angle of the beach and the jetty afford protection. Popular bodyboarding spot. Seedy neighborhood, tough parking, druggy ambiance. No beach tags required. This is a single peak that can’t hold crowds, but everyone usually gets a turn. Mostly experienced surfers and bodyboarders
States Avenue:
Located out front of the Showboat Casino and Trump Taj Mahal, this break picks up any swell that moves. Gas Chambers offers a variety of breaks, depending on the size and direction of swell. Breaks well knee-high to double overhead. The best waves are the lefts off the groin in the center of the break, and the right or left bowl farther south down the beach. The rights on the north side of the groin can get good, too. The area is bordered by Garden Pier to the north, which has a good left, and the new Steel Pier to the south, which sometimes has a challenging right peak. Both piers feature a nasty bottom of concrete and steel rebar, mixed with the occasional used washing machine or shopping cart thrown in for good measure. No beach tags required. The crowd is competitive and experienced, but big swells spread things out.
South Carolina Avenue:
Good rights and lefts break off a wooden groin in the middle of the spot. It’s best on an east/northeast swell with a northwest wind, but it doesn’t pick up a south swell. On a big northeast swell, beware of drifting into rocks at the south end of the beach, near Central Pier. No beach tags required. The crowd is intense and unusually aggressive. Be prepared to hassle for waves.