When Jetty ran the first Clam Jam in 2007, one of the reasons to hold the event was to bring the community together. For over a decade prior, there had not been any locally based surf gathering on LBI, and the community was splintered.
Last Saturday, Nov. 7, Jetty held its 20th Clam Jam. The waves may not have been the best, but the spirit of community was stronger than ever. And Beach Haven’s Josh Law, who teaches history and coaches the Southern Regional High School Surf Team, winning with partner Brady Noon was a fitting conclusion.
This was late in the season for the Clam Jam. The event is held “on call,” which means Jetty (and its nonprofit arm, the Jetty Rock Foundation, which runs the surf events) waits for the best day of waves on a weekend starting after Labor Day. But this fall’s weather has been erratic, with small surf on weekends and several big multiple-day storms. Thus, the event kept getting postponed until it finally ran on Nov. 7.
The surf was not as big as forecasted, the waves were difficult, and the sandbars are still marred from nor’easters, but the surf came through all day, and the wind remained perfect northwest from start to finish.
As has been tradition now for two decades, each surfer’s name is written on a clam and picked at random, pairing an older surfer with a younger one. Surfers ranged in age from 57 to 14. The intergenerational aspect of the event has been key to bringing people together.
Josh Law’s progressive surfing propelled him and his partner to the win. (Photo by Ryan Morrill)
Law is perhaps one of the most skilled surfers in the event each year. He won in 2018 and came back this year ready.
“It’s pretty crazy to win this thing eight years apart. Last time I was one of the younger guys; now I’m on the old-guy side of the bracket,” he said.
“It was just an awesome day on the beach with friends and family. Having my wife and three kids there made it that much better. The Clam Jam is one of those days where the whole surfing community comes together, and that’s really what makes it so special.”
Law said a lot of the surfers competing were those he has looked up to for years. Others were kids he coaches at the high school.
The Evert family from North Beach Haven. Dad Steve Evert enjoyed watching his sons Reese (left) and Shane (right) surf against each other Saturday. (Photo by Kyle Gronostajski/Jetty Rock Foundation)
“It was fun getting to surf against two of my own Southern surf team kids, John Randall and Reef Smith, who’s also Brady’s cousin. Then in the semis we faced Timmy Raimo and Steve Carpitella, two great surfers and good friends of mine. Steve was actually my partner when we won in 2018, so that was a pretty cool, full-circle ending.”
Law’s partner was 20-year-old Brady Noon, who surfed very consistently through the day. Noon is from Lacey Township and an actor. He and his twin brother played a young Tommy Darmody on the HBO Series Boardwalk Empire as kids. He was the voice of Raphael on the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes, starred in the indie film “Mother and Me,” which came out last summer, and also the 2021 Disney series “The Mighty Ducks.” He takes a surfboard wherever his acting work takes him.
“It was definitely a team effort,” said Law. “Brady came through with some really important scores throughout the day, and it was awesome sharing the win with him. All three of my kids are fans of movies he’s been in, so that was a pretty cool experience for them, too.”
The morning high tide flooded the surf. As the directors set up the beach, the waves were barely breaking. As the tide went out, it started to break softly, and the unfavorable shape of the sandbar became a factor through much of the day.
Conor Willem races a section in the offshore winds. (Photo by Kyle Gronostajski/Jetty Rock Foundation)
“The waves weren’t great, but that’s part of surfing contests,” Law said. “It’s something I talk about with the surf team all the time. You have to figure out how to compete in whatever conditions you get; everyone’s out there dealing with the same wave. Kai Kuri and Sean Deacon surfed really well in the final and deserve a lot of credit,” he added.
As the tide came back in, the swell picked up a bit, and the semi-finals and final saw the best waves of the day. Deacon, at the tender age of 54, and Kuri, 17, were in form all day. Deacon is a physical therapist in Manahawkin. He actually surfed for the Southern Regional Surf Team from 1987 to 1990.
Kuri and his twin brother attend the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science in Manahawkin. He rode longboards throughout the day with tons of style. The pair bested Anthony Palandro and Brendan Willem in the semis. Willem won the very first Clam Jam in 2007, randomly paired with his brother Conor.
Tim Raimo can make any conditions look interesting. (Photo by Kyle Gronostajski/Jetty Rock Foundation)
“I had a really awesome, humble partner competing in his first Clam Jam!” reported Deacon. “We came up with a plan since it was slow at high tide and he would have an advantage to catch waves further out than those of us riding shortboards. He would catch a good long wave to the beach early, then just try to sit out the back and catch waves or kick out and tell me to go, so we both got decent scores. We all made the most out of a less than optimal situation as far as size goes.”
On the other side of the bracket, Noon and Law held off local painter Tim Raimo and Informed Mortgage CEO Steve Carpitella, both who have won the Clam Jam in the past.
In the final, Noon put up a respectable 3.17, and Law laid down sharp turns for a high score of 6. They bested Kuri and Deacon by a score of 9.17 -8.
“I honestly didn’t think we won when I came out of the water,” Law admitted. “Then Brendan and Conor Willem and Ron Ferrara came down and chaired me up the beach. Those guys had already spent the whole day down there, so for them to stick around and do that was pretty awesome.”
Josh Law and Brady Noon enjoy the celebration after the Clam Jam final on Saturday. (Photo by Kyle Gronostajski/Jetty Rock Foundation)
For the last five years, the Clam Jam has been held in memory of Pat Harrington of Ship Bottom. Harrington would surf the Clam Jam every year and show up to support, even during the toughest fights in his battle with cancer. The Harrington family remains steadfast supporters at all community events.
“It was really nice seeing the Harrington family there,” Law said. “Pat was a close friend, and it’s hard to believe it’s been almost six years. I love that this event continues to bring everyone together while keeping his memory alive.”
All four finalists will have their names added to the Jetty Clam Jam trophy, which was hand made in 2007 by surfer/artist Joel Dramis.
“I have to give a huge thanks to Jetty,” Law said. “They’ve always been such a big supporter of our Southern Regional Surf Team, and they do so much for the local surfing community. The fact that they continue to put so much into this event and bring everyone together year after year is pretty incredible.”
