New Hampshire is not a state known for its expansive amount of coastline or its enormous waves, but it still harbors some halfway decent surf spots and a good sized surfing population.
Any of the beachs in Rye are a great place to surf, especially in the winter (if you can stand the cold and have the right gear to stay warm).My two favorite spots to surf in Rye are Jenness and Sawyer Beaches. They don't get very crowded and are pretty consistent as far as the waves are concerned. "The Wall" in Hampton is probably the best surf spot in New Hampshire. And no, you don't have to worry about being too close to Hampton Beach and all of the traffic in the Summertime :) The waves at the the wall are the biggest in New Hampshire, and it's conveniently located right near Cinnamon Rainbows Surf Shop. What's great about this is the fact that Cinnamon's rents out surfboards and provides lessons (during the summer mainly) at a pretty good price!
Long Sands Beach in York, Maine is only a 20 minute drive from the seacoast and boasts some pretty Rockin' waves! Much of the north shore of Massachusetts can provide you with a good day of surfing as well. Plum Island, just off the coast of Newburyport, MA is a pretty SWELL (poor attempt at a bit of surf humor) place to surf. It's nice because the water is a little warmer than it is further North in NH or Maine, and it's an island, which adds an element of variety to surfing there. Plum Island is less than an hour from most places in the Seacoast region of NH.
I've lived in New Hampshire for just shy of 17 years now and started surfing about 5 years ago. Even though I love to surf, I'm still learning to get better everytime I get out on my board. Honestly, New Hampshire is an awesome place to learn how to surf, but sometimes the lack of choices in places to go out and surf can be frustrating. In addition, your progress can seem to plateau after while when surfing the fairly modest waves of NH beaches for extended periods of time. The waves in our lovely state are not always what some might call "wicked huge" by any standards; unless it's really cold or there is a storm. This can be problematic for those who want bigger waves on a consistent basis, or who don't want to be out surfing in the middle of a hurricane or nor'easter!!!
This model is the same as my first surfboard ever! It's a shortboard which is not the best type of surfboard to learn how to surf with. Shortboards require a little bit more technical skill to ride than a board that is longer and wider than some (typically referred to as a longboard). The board featured here is around 7 feet long and is really designed to carve into waves to perform trickier moves that go beyond just "hangin' ten".
The longboard is where most surfers begin their attempt at learning to surf. The longer and wider a board, the easier it is to learn to control and balance on one. In addition to being easier to use, longboards are chosen by those surfers who simply like to ride waves as opposed to trying various tricks. I would consider a longboard to be any type over 8 feet long, like this one here.
The Lingo:
Those waves were totally gnarly Broski. We should def head to the other side of the bar and rip that H20.
In case you need it...
Brokski/Brah: In the English language means, brother or friend. Similar to dude or pal.The Style:
Some dudes like to have long hair, others really like to grow their doo's out and not wash their hair so they can grow dreads. The style doesn't bother me nearly as much as how some people talk about or when surfing. A lot of surfers really like to wear clothes made by surf companies like Billabong©, Quicksilver©, and Nixon©. The clothes are usually really nice, but are way overpriced. I hate to peg some surfers with stereotypes, but I just see so much of it for some reason!
There are, as you read this, uncounted millions of people who now go through life without any source of real, vibrant kick. The legions of the unjazzed. But surfers have found one way. God knows, there are other ways. Each to his special danger. Skiing is not enough. Sailing is near. Ski-jumping almost. Automobile racing has got it. Bullfighting makes you dead. The Answer is surfing. - Phil Edwards