Shore Score - Surf & Adventure Co

Big clean & dreamy. Eastern Shore, VA. Photo: Carolino.

Words by John Streit. Photos by Joshua Carolino & Colin Breland.

Few things in surfing are more rewarding than pulling up to that first spot after a couple of hours on the road and finding it absolutely pumping.

Thinking back through my years of searching the Mid-Atlantic for fun surf, there hasn’t been many times everything falls into place straight away. Definitely not at the first glance and definitely not at one of the more fickle spots in the region. You see, truly scoring usually involves hours of sandbar searching, calling around to your buddies — also spending hours sandbar searching, waiting on the tide, the wind, etc., etc. etc. (see Patience is a Virtue).

For me, there are always butterflies that hit just before you get your first look at what has been forecast to be a day of firing surf — like a kid about to tear into that first gift of Christmas. The anticipation level was particularly high as we arrived at Assateague Island National Seashore: the one and only spot on Virginia’a Eastern Shore with vehicular beach access. Here, that first look determines two options: 1. You’re sprinting back to your car to change in a froth and get on it. 2. You’re in for another 45-minute drive to your next option in Maryland.

On this day, Sunday, Dec. 15, the first sight of offshore-groomed, overhead southeast swell with big rip-able walls and dreamy almond barrels made option No. 1 a no-brainer. This day yielded the potential I always knew this place had since the first time I surfed it a few years back. If not for the 45 degrees of the air and water, it was one of those perfect surf days: no crowds, tons of swell, ideal wind and long lines.

It was also great to introduce Colin and Josh to their first surfing experience on the Shore when it was doing its thing in all-time fashion — no doubt they’ll be hooked on coming back for more when the forecast lines up just right. The guys and their crew are also getting started on their own surf/skate/music/art blog called Sense Media. Cruise over and check it out; and thanks to those guys for capturing these images.