Pick up any big surfing magazine and you expect to see articles on destinations like Indonesia or Hawaii. You certainly don’t expect to see anything about New England.
But “Surfer” magazine recently gave Northeast surfing some love, publishing an enthralling feature article about hunting cold-water surfing perfection in New England. From the article:
If you trace the shoreline from Rhode Island to Maine on a map, you’ll find a jagged coast with stretches of beach facing every conceivable direction. With a little imagination, you can easily picture an array of great waves waiting behind every bend, each with its own unique personality, requiring a different set of wind, swell, and tide to come to life.
In a way, New England seemed like one of the last frontiers of American surfing, where there are still raw, uncrowded waves waiting for those hearty enough to explore every nook of the craggy, snow-covered coast. I wanted to experience those unforgiving breaks and get to know the surfers who endure them for the sake of a few icy waves. Surfers who are built for the cold and are deeply in tune with these unpredictable waters.
In response to the article, Boston.com recently published a list of 10 great surf spots in New England.