Liquid Lines
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•October 2, 2021
Strange Beauty of Early Fall, Surf Rams Shredding, Swells Past and Future
There’s something that has always been funny about surfing in the early fall, particularly when you get back to your car on a bright, warm mid-morning and there are all these clothes rumpled up.
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•September 16, 2021
Long Period Larry Delivers Classic Highs and Lows of Hurricane Season
A couple of weeks ago we were all pretty jazzed about the Hurricane Henri swell. That was a minimal hurricane that made a very fast pass some 100 miles off our coast and eventually hit Rhode Island.
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•September 9, 2021
Magical Labor Day Weekend Gives Way to ‘Locals Summer’ Fun, Hurricane Larry Swell
I think I saw a fairy fly over the Island and sprinkle pixie dust on Monday night.
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•September 2, 2021
‘Waves of Strength’ Buoys Spirits; Tail of Fast Summer With Plenty of Waves
“Boy, did I need this,” said Terrace Tavern co-owner Mike Sweeney as he ran up the beach against a howling northeast wind on Sunday.
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•August 19, 2021
Favorite Part of Summer for Island Watermen; Big Changes for Competitive Surfing
Have you ever noticed the way that summers seem to find a comfortable, similar rhythm from year to year?
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•August 11, 2021
Updating Lingo as Tropical Outlook for the Season Looks Lit
One thing I love about writing this column is that I’ve forged friendships with the oldest surfers on the Island and the youngest. I mean, one of the coolest parts of my job is that I occasionally…
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•August 8, 2021
Case of the Lost Board on the Bridge, Plus the Bigger News on the Island and in the Water
Last Thursday, I was returning to the Island after running some errands. Went to the bank, picked up a frying pan at the Old and New shop for $3 and got the Vegan Buffalo Ranch salad from Living on…
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•July 29, 2021
Jetty Coquina Jam Has Grown to Serve Its Purpose and More for the Community; Surfing Makes Olympic Debut
On Sunday, I jumped in the water for a few waves right next to the Jetty Coquina Jam. As I was paddling north against that drift, I passed by two adolescent boys.
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•July 24, 2021
A Wonderful and Watery Goodbye; Realistic Hurricane Preparedness for Our Coast
“Patrick’s passing has brought all of us great sadness. But take comfort, each of you here and all who knew him, that your friendship made Pat’s short life full beyond measure and gave him great…
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•July 15, 2021
Tropical Storm Elsa Delivers Historic Swell; Do Certain Vacationers Need to Learn Some Respect?
Last Friday, I found myself hustling up the beach. It was a few minutes after 8 a.m., overcast, and the wind was hard northwest. So hard, in fact, that it looked like a winter day, certainly not the…
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•July 8, 2021
Why Water Temp So Moody in July; Consistent Waves and Tropical Storm Elsa
Not everyone would’ve considered that an ideal 4th of July weekend. Moderate rain, some chilly temps and more than a little wind do not make for endless beach time, perfect boating days or great…
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•July 1, 2021
Fitness and Non-Fitness on LBI; Torpedo Boys Win; Fun Foam Event; Fired Up for the Fourth
Has anyone else had the thought that the Island is split into two very different camps?
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•June 26, 2021
Excitement for Summer, Longest Days of the Year, Plenty of Swell
Does anyone else feel that when they hit the “Unsubscribe” button on an email, enter their email address and then slam a check down in the box that says “Don’t send me any more emails,” you are…
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•June 16, 2021
Summer Problems: Good Problems to Have; Sand Creativity and Clean Little Surf on the Way
As I was driving up North Barnegat Avenue on Sunday morning to go surf, I had a familiar feeling. There was a man in front of me navigating the streets of Surf City on a bicycle worth quite a bit…
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•June 10, 2021
Local Employers Getting Plenty Creative in Their Hiring; Waves Could Be Better
“Can I take those out of the way for you?” the busboy asked in a squeaky voice.
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•June 2, 2021
Remembering an LBI Rap Concert 20 Years Ago As We Sat Inside for the Memorial Maelstrom
Well, that was a Memorial Day Weekend we’ll remember forever.
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•May 27, 2021
Reasons to Feel Good and Many Other Topics of Land and Sea Into the Big Weekend
So much to talk about. There’s a summer on the way in and a pandemic on the way out. We hit 93 degrees on Sunday and 53 on Monday. We just had a bombing Tropical Storm Ana swell, it’s barely rained…
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•May 22, 2021
Planning the Potential Post-Pandemic Party
For the folks out there who love statistics, let’s take a look at some of the good news numbers we’re looking at.
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•May 13, 2021
Dropspins, Flabjacks and Other Pickleball Terms; Decent Surf, Wind Talk, Events on Horizon
“On Sunday morning, I returned a dropspin with a flabjack, right past the kitchen on a rally, and we pickled ’em good.”
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•May 1, 2021
Pajamas in Public; Hurricane Season Perspective; Closing in on 50-Degree Surf
First things first. From February to June, Liquid Lines devotes an awful lot of space to being cranky about seasonal weather – winter’s never-ending grip on our barrier island, frigid water and raw…
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•April 14, 2021
Never Take Home Maintenance Advice From a Surf Columnist; Following the Youngest Guns
I can understand why you’d be reticent to take home improvement advice from a surf columnist who dabbles in social commentary, but stay with me here.
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•April 1, 2021
Anti-Renewable Movement Blowing in the Wind; March Ends With Decent Surf
Remember back when LBI was seemingly devoid of any activist spirit?
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•March 22, 2021
Not All Offshore Winds Are the Same, Talking Angles of West Wind and a Late Winter Flat Spell
There’s a very basic lesson you learn when you first start surfing: West wind is better. West wind is offshore and cleans the surf. Basic knowledge.
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•March 4, 2021
Practical Applications of New Math and Winter Waves of All Kinds
If there’s another relief bill after this current $1.9 trillion whopper, there should be something in there for teachers. For the educators bravely showing up for students, or perhaps more bravely…
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•February 21, 2021
Lost in ‘Quaran-tedium’ Projects
Well, I’m not 100% sure on that. He might still be in there, or he might not, since I got up on a ladder and stapled a bunch of old screen up in the eaves.
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•February 4, 2021
‘Where Were You in February?!’ The Apex of the Off-Season
Whenever surfers have a dispute over waves in June or September, year-round surfers will gnash their teeth and demand to know, “Where were you in February?!”
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•January 21, 2021
What Will the World Look Like Besides Cold and Waveless for LBI?
It’s a tough thing, predicting the future.
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•January 9, 2021
Losing a Local Surfer; Winter of Waves and Embracing the Outdoors Like the Nordics
Boy, we were so excited to get into 2021 we could taste it … except we lost our sense of taste.
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•December 14, 2020
So Many Coyote Experts; Big Swells to Kick Off Winter
If anyone is interested, I have a fantastic holiday gift idea. There’s always one person on your list who is never in need of anything.
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•November 26, 2020
12 Weeks of Christmas; More Mild as We Enter Weekend of Thanks
So apparently, it’s Christmas. Has been for a while now; kind of eclipsed Halloween.
