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THE HUNT BEGINS
Bourgeois, Parker, Morton bounce between Hurricane Bill and Tropical Storm Danny
Posted: 09/01/09 | Visits: 25694
| Comments: 12 | View Comments
It's been a long ten days. From the moment major Hurricane Bill popped up on the maps right through yesterday's short lived Tropical Storm Danny swell it's been a non-stop whirlwind of Internet checks, driving, and phone call frenzy. For an East Coast surfer during Fall's 'cane season, that's just how it goes. It's a full-bore rat race.
Adding to these already hectic times, it just so happens that Alek Parker, Ben Bourgeois, and I have been helping Jerry Ricciotti premiere his new film Spectacular Adventures from Florida to Virginia during all of this storm activity, leaving us virtually zero down time at all.
Alek and I had already planned to chase every tropical system this season; documenting our adventures on Surfline in the form of live daily multimedia updates that culminate in a 'Hunt 2009' video episode after each storm. Fortunately for us it just so happens that our Spectacular Adventures tour dates guided us directly into the swell window of both Bill and Danny. Talk about good timing!
Though Bill had its moments of glory up and down the Eastern Seaboard, our ultra-high, over-hyped expectations led to mostly let down. After hearing reports of others scoring in every place we weren't, when Danny popped up on the weather charts we vowed not to miss any more good surf.
This time around, we certainly didn't. Tropical Storm Danny's swell was met with offshore winds on North Carolina's Outer Banks Saturday and absolutely lit the area up with a day of throaty tubes. The horrific current and strong rips made for a tough playing field, but there were some grinding, below sea level tube rides going down. Benny B, the day's MVP, called it some of the "best OBX he's ever surfed", a solid testament to the quality of waves on offer.
Now that the premiere tour is over and the Danny swell gone, it's time for a much needed break from life in an RV. Judging from the fairly active tropical season thus far, I wouldn't be surprised to see something spin up soon. When it does we'll be back on the Hunt. And whether we score or get skunked, you'll be able to read about it right here.
--Zander Morton
For a full list of "The Hunt" videos on Surfline, click here.
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| Danny made just about everyone in the water a hero for a day. |
Adding to these already hectic times, it just so happens that Alek Parker, Ben Bourgeois, and I have been helping Jerry Ricciotti premiere his new film Spectacular Adventures from Florida to Virginia during all of this storm activity, leaving us virtually zero down time at all.
 |
| The OBX is never a secret, but when its on there is only one place to be. |
Alek and I had already planned to chase every tropical system this season; documenting our adventures on Surfline in the form of live daily multimedia updates that culminate in a 'Hunt 2009' video episode after each storm. Fortunately for us it just so happens that our Spectacular Adventures tour dates guided us directly into the swell window of both Bill and Danny. Talk about good timing!
THE HUNT 2009, TROPICAL STORM DANNY CLIP
Though Bill had its moments of glory up and down the Eastern Seaboard, our ultra-high, over-hyped expectations led to mostly let down. After hearing reports of others scoring in every place we weren't, when Danny popped up on the weather charts we vowed not to miss any more good surf.
 |
| This is the scene of a long day of HCR (hardcore ripping) and Ian Parnel making the OBX look like a right point. |
This time around, we certainly didn't. Tropical Storm Danny's swell was met with offshore winds on North Carolina's Outer Banks Saturday and absolutely lit the area up with a day of throaty tubes. The horrific current and strong rips made for a tough playing field, but there were some grinding, below sea level tube rides going down. Benny B, the day's MVP, called it some of the "best OBX he's ever surfed", a solid testament to the quality of waves on offer.
Now that the premiere tour is over and the Danny swell gone, it's time for a much needed break from life in an RV. Judging from the fairly active tropical season thus far, I wouldn't be surprised to see something spin up soon. When it does we'll be back on the Hunt. And whether we score or get skunked, you'll be able to read about it right here.
--Zander Morton
For a full list of "The Hunt" videos on Surfline, click here.
Alek Parker is a Melbourne Beach-based surfer who divides his time between surfing his home break, going on photo trips, shooting video and chasing bad-ass hurricanes up and down the East Coast. Follow Alek, Cory, Shea and a host of others as they use science, technology and instinct to navigate through and around every major tropical storm.
More THE HUNT 2009 Blog Entries
Comments: (12) Add Your Comment
michael reed 09/04/2009 09:03 PM * PREMIUM MEMBER - Real Name
Hatteras cranks and we're always on it 365...kept me sane for 6 years living in Va. Beach. Been watching, good swell. Much stoke and Aloha from Oahu...Chris Reed
ERIC WILLIS 09/04/2009 05:48 AM * PREMIUM MEMBER - Real Name
At the OBX for Bill, plenty surf Friday & Sun.. In Maine for Danny, overhead sets.... much fun!! Good summer but not great :( Where are the 'canes? Not complaining... just craving! Aloha
Terd_Ferg 09/03/2009 04:57 PM
"The OBX is never a secret, but when its on there is only one place to be"........Does he mean S-turns? That's a load of crap. There are plenty of breaks in Rodanthe/Waves/Salvo that break as good as S-turns. I don't even bother stopping there. As for you six-hour guys, stay home.
yeah 09/03/2009 03:08 PM
the house is condemned....
tater 09/03/2009 11:00 AM
to jr.
the house is real. watch nights in rodanthe with richard gear, the movie is filmed in the house. people still stay in it sometimes. we use it as a land mark for the break in front of it.
Brandy Faber 09/02/2009 09:50 PM * PREMIUM MEMBER - Real Name
Stoked that the East Coast has been getting as good of swell as the West Coast this summer. Hurricane Ignacio gave us a great surprise last week.
Lauro Pastor 09/02/2009 09:50 PM
I'm from Brasil , resident in Miami for 11 years and
during the hurricane season i realy go for a hunt sometimes by myself , i always call my friends to see
who's available to travel . This time nobody came with
me and it was the best swell that i ever surfed in the East coast of the States , OBX is far the best spot on the entire coast ! I never surfed with so manny good surfers in my entire life .Danny the best... so far !!!
Brandy Faber 09/02/2009 09:42 PM * PREMIUM MEMBER - Real Name
Stoked you guys have been getting good surf back there. We had an epic swell from Hurricane Ignacio last week in California as well. Seems like both coasts are having some of there best summer swells in years!
JEFFREY MOTTERN 09/02/2009 05:57 PM * PREMIUM MEMBER - Real Name
It was sick! Drove down Friday nigth 6 hours straight to S turns to see the ocean looking like a washer machine! The next morning around 10 am came out to sponge and it was finaly going off! Super stoked to ride good waves ! Can't wait till next one and hopefuly this September sends more gnarly swell!
09/02/2009 03:03 PM
That house is real. It's the house from the movie "Nights in Rodanthe". No one lives there. It's been sitting empty for years. The water actually breaks underneath it during high tide and in big storms.
jr 09/02/2009 02:33 PM
where is that house at and is it real,,,,is there people living there it looks like the freaky ass house from series of misfortunated events gnarley
Bob Island 09/02/2009 01:24 PM
Danny produced the biggest waves I ever shot on the East Coast. Some of them look double overhead. There were a lot of really good surfers at the S-Turns(8-29-09), But one surfer, who called himself Ben was putting on a shack show.
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ALEK PARKER BIOGRAPHY
Every year, there is building anxiety leading up to these same few months, which bring on-going terror to the residents of the Eastern seaboard of the United States. These select months are home to a weather pattern in the Atlantic Ocean known as, "hurricane season."
