Hypothesis: For my research, I will be defending my claim that the best surf spot in the world is located in Loch Arbor, New Jersey. Since I began surfing in 2016, I have been searching for the best wave and while many professional surfers look to Hawaii, California, or Western Australia for the world’s best wave, I plan to set my sights on the garbage and needle-ridden shores of New Jersey. I believe that the Northeast of the United States does not receive the attention it deserves as there is a unique surf culture that many in the area resonate with.

An Evaluation of the Short-Term Impacts of Beach Nourishment on Surfability in Long Branch, New Jersey

Background: This thesis attempts to explain the offshore dredging that occurs on the Jersey Shore annually to evaluate how this process affects surfs on a short-term basis. It provides thorough research on the process as well as how it will affect the these breaks

Use of Information: I’ll explain how the dredging essentially creates a new break every summer that surfers have to learn and adapt to each year which adds another element of adaptation to surfing New Jersey breaks

Surfability decreased for at least one month after beach nourishment. The study focuses primarily in Monmouth County which is where my hometown is and where I surf most often. The study occurs all over the county, but is centralized in Long Branch as this is where the dredging is taking place. The other beaches are under surveillance as a comparison. Long Branch was selected as it allegedly has the most consistently good surf, but in my own personal opinion that is wrong. Manasquan has the best and most consistent surf in the county.

Evaluating the Impact of Beach Nourishment on Surfing: Surf City, Long Beach Island, New Jersey, U.S.A.

Background: This text further examines how dredging is completed as well as its effects on one particular surf break in New Jersey.

Use of Information: I will use this information to explain the particulars of how waves break in New Jersey and how the dredging affects the surf every year. As a New Jersey surfer I can attest to the effects that this dredging has on the community as a spot that breaks well one year may not break well the next.

New Jersey Surf Guide

Background: This provides a background of surf breaks in New Jersey as well as what conditions create optimal surf. It also details the proper time of year to surf as well as gives some insight into the process of surfing in New Jersey

Use of Information: I will use this to provide a guide of when surfing is best in New Jersey and why this is the case as well as providing insight into New Jersey surf culture

It is not a typical surfing destination (or a destination sought after at all), but if you end up here there is potential for good wave. The quality of the water is as good as it has been for the last thirty years due to frequent testing. Most Jersey beaches close when it is dirty. While surf can be crowded during the summer, you and few buddies can always get some good rides, but when winter comes around and the herds thin, you get more and more choice rides. Crowds are not bad for those who are used to them. Dolphins and porpoises are present in summer and early fall. Beach badges and beach closings during hurricanes can prove to be problematic at times, but there are few hazards here. Seasonal surf rankings: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer (Personally: Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring because I do not like the cold). Fall is best due to warm waters, no crowds, and good swells from hurricane season. Water temps from 50-68. Winter has no crowds, but fewer waves between swells. The days are also shorter and its bricks out here. Water temps from 33-50. Spring is still cold and the swells have died down. Summer is hit or miss with teh waves either being excellent or flat. Surfing areas are limited and lifeguards are up your ass about being in swimmer zones. Crowds and badges are an issue, but sunrise and sunset are peak.

Science of Surfing

Background: This article explains how waves form and the intricate process that allows for waves to break properly. This will provide the reader with inside of what happens below sea level that causes the production of waves and “good” waves.

Use of Information: I will use this information to explain how waves break and then to apply this to my home break while also explaining why dredging affects the process of wave generation

https://www.surfline.com/surf-news/mechanics-how-pipeline-breaks-oahu-surf/40481

Background: This article explains the mechanics and science behind the wave that many consider to be the best in the world: The Banzai Pipeline. From the reef to groundswells to wind, this article explains all that makes the Banzai Pipeline so special.

Use of Information: I will use this article to tear apart all notions of the Banzai Pipeline being the best in the world. I will use this as a comparison to show why New Jersey surf is better than that in Hawaii.

Topics for Other Papers: Why asymmetrical boards are better than symmetrical boards, why soft top boards are better for professional contests than fiberglass

Analysis of Progress: There is an amazing paper in the works here, but I am lacking in numerous categories. There is virtually no information on why New Jersey or the Northeast in general is a good place to surf which simply means I am on to a brilliant discovery but it makes the initial research process much more difficult. I need to conduct much more research, dive deeper into my topic, and grasp a better understanding of what I am writing and why. I have to believe what I am writing because it has been ingrained in me since an early age that surfing doesn’t get any better than in Hawaii, but this paper is not only attempting to disprove the ideas formed in the surf community, but my own inherent bias as well. I need to spend more time working on this project than I have in the past and truly grasp what counterintuitivity is as well as how to go about writing about a topic that has never been written about.

Water Temps

NOAA research shows a chart of average monthly water temperatures throughout New Jersey. In winter the water can reach temperatures as low as 36.4 degrees and in summer it can reach as high as 79.4 degrees with February being the coldest month in the year and July being the warmest.

Tourism

Jersey requires tourism for a large part of its economy. Jobs, state income depend on tourists flocking to beaches in the summer. Sandy destroyed the beaches, but they are back and up and running for the most part as beach refurbishments have been made to protect our shores.