The endless summer is coming to an end, but there is still time to dial into the surf scene on the New Hampshire Seacoast. If you are a gremmie or a grommet (inexperienced surf enthusiast), and want to avoid looking like a tourist or an inland squid, here is a paddle out primer.
Check out conditions ahead of time. There is no sense driving to the coast if conditions are flat. The webcam on Surfline will allow you to see what is happening at The Wall (Hampton). You can also look at Magicseaweed. If you are totally intense, you can take it one step further by deciphering the marine forecast at Weather Underground.
Get the right equipment. New Hampshire has four surf shops--hit Cinnamon Rainbows, Pioneers, Summer Sessions or Zapstix to get all the essentials (board, leash, wetsuit, wax).
Go early or go home. We are talking 7:00 a.m. at the latest (although this is somewhat tide dependent). New Hampshire has very porous borders—surfers motor in from as far away from Quebec when the surf is mondo. You want to get in before it is zooed out.
Plan B. If you get skunked, drown your sorrows with java and bagels at the always-packed-but-so-cool KB’s at the bottom of 7th in North Beach.
Want to learn a lot more about what is happening on New Hampshire’s shores? Check out Life on the Seacoast, a series by NHPR reporter Jason Moon.
