Last month, when Hurricane Teddy coincided with a massive nor’easter, the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic saw some of the biggest surf of the past 10 years. And while New York and New Jersey had a couple of glorious days, neither state saw XXL surf, as the brunt of the swell’s energy was focused straight at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In fact, the morning the swell cleaned up the buoy just off the Outer Banks showed 16 feet at 18 seconds — a historically large reading — resulting in massive walls of whitewater as far out as the eye could see.
As the swell dropped and the tide filled in, a small contingent of East Coast chargers — along with Oahu’s Koa Rothman — tried to paddle an unruly Outer Banks sandbar that looks like Puerto Escondido mixed with Pipeline. In the YouTube Vlog above, follow along as Brett Barley and crew attempt to ride the biggest OBX in a decade. After getting denied paddling out (twice!), they manage to score a couple of bombs. Unfortunately, none of the crew finds themselves in position for the biggest sets of the day — Hawaii sized slabs that we might not see break on the East Coast for another 10 years.
To browse our selection of O’Neill suits online (like the 3/2 Psycho One that Barley is wearing), click here.
