Can someone describe surf up in Maine?

I'm probably going to make the maine guys angry for me giving you info. Well, i go to maine every summer, so there are crowds on the beaches, not the waves. Breaks, well, no, not really comparable to long island. Well, there are mostly beach breaks in maine, if thats what you mean.

 

I honestly didnt even know Maine had a coast line.. good luck!

 

Maine is rocky and deadly. Beaches are super kooky too. Just come surf RI

 

Maine gets more of my respect every time I hit breaks there. I've gone up for three bigger swells since the early fall and I've seen quality waves in a different way than I've seen most other places. Some lesser to little known spots that only rock on bigger swells have easily rivaled some of the best A-frames I've seen in Rhodey and SoCal.

Points can be found and rock reefs are more plentiful. There's definite boneyard factor at most of such places and you'll need to paddle out for a swell to survey how it operates before you want to charge it since you'll also need to observe the tide actions. In Maine, they can have a differential of greater than 12ft from dead high to dead low and in full moon phases the last hour of each is expedited. You don't see schitt like this elsewhere almost ever and you'll need to familiarize yourself with this to avoid consequence. If you're at the right spot on the right day, you're literally the only one there, so you don't want to have to deal with consequence.

It's an investment of some research, a recon run on the first big swell then a second trip to actually charge it fully. You'll be pleased with it in the end if you're at the right spots. For all the others, it's simply not worth it due to either crowds or nothing spectacular. Tides, tides, tides.

 

We have 10 foot tides...

 

That's great sandblasters, many other places do too. I'm talking not just the over 12ft differential but the speed they go in and out on the full moon swells, which have happened like clockwork since October. When you have to continually change your landmarks for dead reckoning within the same hour, that's a lively break bro. Drastic changes by the minute on those days and massive boulders sprouting up when last wave you paddled into you couldn't see them. That and getting yanked out to the deep where wages no longer break and you see gnarly fish. Not every day bro, but I'm talking about the type of break that's well worth scouting firsthand on a certain right swell before you ever charge that same good swell.

You throw sideshore winds into the mix that can start gusting in the 30s and 40s when it was 10-20 and mild sun a half hour prior and it's an interesting day on hand. People are asking what Maine can be like. It's great, but as with most places worth being, peril exists at the breaks you want to be at. Knowing that peril keeps you surfing.

 

Tell me about it.

 

Grommet, the tides in Rhodey are nearly sea level on the reg. High there today is 3ft. Three. Low is 0. What are you talking about grommet? Put your cell piece away in study hall before it gets confiscated.

FYI, I'm talking about tide differential here boys. If a rock reef is relatively exposed to da max all day long in some form then so be it, that's simple and you plan accordingly. But when it comes out of nowhere in 15-30 minutes on the polar end of a tide change, you're surfing a whole different break now.

The tide differential on a gnarly full moon day in Maine is 5x more drastic than Rhodey is today. Consider that. These are single and double-digit math problems people. Not trig or calc.

 

I go there every summer. And I don't even own a phone.

 

What are you doing? Called a sick day or something?

 

Yes grommet. I call today a sick day because I'll be charging Pacific waves.

Since you go to ME each summer, pay attention to the tides when you're up there as they're not the same as the breaks you regularly visit.

Now get off your iPad or laptop and focus on your teacher's lecture. Or go BS with grommet 2.0

 

probably one of the last places on the East Coast to be explored to its full potential. i've heard stories from guys that worked on lobster boats of full-on reef setups that fire, but very very fickle. go check it out and keep the good news to yourself.

 

Correct and the more northern the better.

 

Southern, ME in normal conditions is pretty mello. Lots of beach breaks south of Portland. In the late spring, summer and early fall the breaks will be crowded on weekends, but probably not as crowded as points further south. Once mid-October rolls around the crowds disappear. On an awesome day in winter you might have four other people in with you.

When I first started living and surfing up here I immediately noticed you get much longer rides on small days when compared to the Outer Banks (my only other point of reference). I don't know the science, but I believe it's a continental shelf thing? Anyway, the beaches are very gradual so you rarely see shore break when it's knee high +. A longboard is a must-have, but I suppose that's true anywhere.

So where ya moving to?

 

I'm curious, in general is the tide differential greater the farther north you go from the equator?

 

I don't have a clue either. I know there was a big tide change in Costa Rica on the Pacific side the last time I was in Dominical. I lost my board way outside, and as I was bodysurfing back in, I noticed boulders flying by just below me that were nowhere to be seen an hour before. Someone on this forum may have some real science to share. I know the moon has something to do with it.

 

I don't think the tide differential is necessarily due to latitude. I read somewhere that because of it's proximity to the continental shelf and the Georgia bight or bend in the coastline, that Georgia has some of the biggest tide differentials on the east coast next to Maine.

 

If you're at a beach break there's really nothing to fear. Aside from a couple minor rips and side currents I haven't had any surprising experiences. Oh, there was that seal that popped up 10 ft in front of me. That was surprising.