Behind the scenes at The Surf Station-Tom Kiernan

We haven’t had real waves and it’s been cold. That’s 2010 Saint Augustine in a nutshell. El Nino has been real kind this year to CA and the Caribbean, but apparently forgot about us here in the Oldest City.

Until we get something else worth commenting on, I figured I’d profile a few of the folks here at the shop that make this place go round. To start, I give you Mr. Tom Kiernan.

Tom might be the nicest person you’ve ever met. We both started working at the shop around the same time, roughly ten years ago. He managed the lonely outpost in the State Park (remember that place?) and eventually took the reigns at the main store for a couple years before eventually moving into his current life as a married man and a schoolteacher to special needs children. Still, he finds time to join us twice a week and get back to his roots as a part time employee at the shop. I’m sure you’ve talked to him here, he’s the one with the endless expanse of surf knowledge stored in his brain. I guarantee if there was a surf Jeopardy, he would smoke everyone. I challenge anyone to a surf trivia duel with the guy. You won’t win. Come in on Tuesday and Thursday evenings form 3-9 if you dare try to out Tom Tom.

He just gave birth to a beautiful girl, Teagan Kiernan, only 14 days ago.

A few weeks back, with his baby’s birth forthcoming, I heard another employee, ET, ask Tom if maybe he could cover his shift. “Ummm, yeah, well wait. Let me check with Erica. I think maybe she’s due that night but still if you really need me I just gotta….”

“No Tom it’s aright, really. I’ll find someone else.” laughed Eric. “You aren’t missing the birth of your kid for me.”

That’s Tom though, ready to help out no matter the circumstance.