Sights of Sandy - Surf & Adventure Co

Way overhead and pumping at Little Island Pier, Sandbridge: Oct. 29, 2012. Matt McKechnie photo.

Words by John Streit. Concept by Shaun Devine.

Surf & Adventure Co. crewman Julius Delbridge put it best the morning after Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy pulled away from eastern Virginia: This storm had such a sweet, non-assuming name, but packed a nasty punch.

Our stretch of coastline — however wind-battered and flooded — withstood the lashing well compared to the horrendous amount of damage suffered in the Outer Banks, N.C. and the Northeast. A long recovery lies ahead for those areas. Our hearts go out to all who suffered losses as a result of this “Frankenstorm.”

While chasing waves around the area in the midst of the storm, S&A’s Shaun Devine and John Streit witnessed its raw power as it passed to our north. Traveling to the sheltered beaches of heavily-flooded Hampton, Va.; the boys and a handful of other dedicated surfers found solid 4- to 5-foot ocean swell pumping into the Chesapeake Bay more than 15 miles from its opening to the Atlantic. The fact swell made it that far into the bay and still maintained that size serves as a testament to the storm’s tremendous energy.

Sandy provided us with many, many more examples of her wrath: some awe-inspring, some frightening, but all impressive. The night after surfing some of the heaviest waves ever to break in Virginia Beach, we decided to compile the best images of Sandy from our friends’ social media outlets. We figured it would only be appropriate since this storm has touched so many people in countless different ways.

@shaun_csb on Instagram: The S&A crew’s trip to Hampton on Oct. 29 yielded clean, barreling peaks (top). After a cold, wind-driven rain and nearly getting stuck in the sand, the boys came home to the bottom wave grinding across an Oceanfront sandbar. Shaun Devine photos.

@bal_ak on Instagram: S&A team rider Tyler Balak pulls into a gaping Oceanfront pit. Oct. 29, 2012.

@obxblader on Instagram: Chase Pittman snaps a timeless photo of epic Virginia Beach. Oct. 29, 2012.

@matt_savage_price on Instagram: S&A’s Matt Price surveys the thrashing Sandy delivered NC 12 in Kill Devil Hills, NC. Oct. 29, 2012.

@toddcsb on Instagram: Avalon Pier being ripped apart by Sandy’s massive waves. Kill Devil Hills, N.C.: Oct. 29, 2012.

Facebook: John Malbon frames up “that spot” in the bay. Oct. 28, 2012.

@shaun_csb on Instagram: Waves in the bay? Oct. 28, 2012.

Facebook: Brian Bassett answers that question. Oct. 28, 2012.

@spicnasty on Instagram: Further south in Buxton, N.C.; Hunter Hicks witnessed this 15-foot-plus bomb. Oct. 29, 2012

@therealcmt on Instagram: Virginia Beach Fishing Pier, maxing out. Oct. 29, 2012.

@joshuwacarolino on Instagram: Croatan Rocks doing its best Sunset Beach impression. Oct. 29, 2012.

@gloriaisilent on Instagram: Watching the wind turn offshore, 43rd Street, Virginia Beach. Oct. 29, 2012

@becauseto on Instagram: 40 mph offshores turned victory-at-sea conditions into groomed dredging pits. North End Virginia Beach: Oct. 29, 2012.

@daniel_parrish_ on Instagram: Meanwhile, in Sandbridge… Oct. 29, 2012.

@westavalon on Instagram: Outer Banker Martin Fucci documents the damage on NC 12 in Kitty Hawk N.C.: Oct. 29, 2012.

Facebook: Outer Banks lensman Mickey McCarthy puts the massive size of Sandy’s surf into perspective. Kitty Hawk, N.C., Oct. 29, 2012.

@thewildlyfe on Instagram: Raven Lundy sets up a certified monster in Ocean City, Md. Photo by Nick Denny. Oct. 29, 2012.

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