The real guide to RI VS NJ SPONGING

A true REAL guide to bodyboarding in RI and comparison to NJ

Rankings for ec bodyboarding

1)NJ/long island area
2)MD and RI tied for second

Florida and southeast US south of outerbanks suck ass.

Outer banks/nantucket island don't count in this comparison of EC areas.
and I'm not familiar with the outer banks anyway. If I wanted to live in the
middle of nowhere I'd go tropical indo. I'm talking where people actually live.
RI is better than Florida, which doesn't barrel unless there's a hurricane in
the water. 99% of the swells are absolute mush. Lets forget that nonsene of
shwoing a hurricane sandy swell causing huge barrels at pumphouse in Florida.

Let's talk about what we ride on a normal basis. RI is better than the garbage
surf breaks south of hatteras all the way to miami. RI is better than virginia
beach, which is absolute garbage. Maryland and RI are close. Advanges to MD is
WAY warmer obviously and a few descent beach breaks that are equivalent or
better than some RI beachies and less crowded than some RI breaks. Advantages to
RI are able to handle a hurricane swell better and able to handle multiple wind
directions. MD just like RI doesn't have that many good barreling breaks. Just a
few compared to NJ.

Maryland is a downgraded version of NJ and not as exposed to SSW swell as
southern half of jersey shore.. Delaware is now garbage. Used to be great. They
need to replenish with some fine grain sand so the beach won't be so steep.

Every major swell when I was in RI I would see NJ plates, I don't get it! NJ blows RI out of the water! I don't see RI plates of surfers in NJ.

For the most part:
Rhode Island is MUSHY/DISORGANIZED rock reef crap or mushy beaches or heavy
close outs on the few beach breaks that do exist for the most part on an average
BIG swell.

Here's one of the heaviest rock reef breaks with a BIG swell on it. Monahan's
dock. One take off spot. This is it "firing". Garbage disorganized crowded(due
to one take off spot) mush.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcwmtBFp1Qo

 

Now there's 2nd beach, which is FAR superior to 1st beach. A mushy(yet still
fast and fun!) ultra crowded break that RARELY barrels. It's not bad in this
video, but it can have brutal crowds. The video shows what it looks like on
average with a SOLID swell in the water
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn2OWrbX04g

Here's point judith during hurricane bill swell. Longboard disorganized mush
surf spot. Even with a solid 18 second period swell. Forget that video of it A-
framing in the mid 90s during a hurricane. That's a once a decade swell at the
point. This is what is looks like on average with good winds and solid swell.

Get yourself a bic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y0Gm1ggD2k

Here's what the best longboard spot on the ec looks like on AVEREAGE with a good
swell and winds in the water. Super consistent spot and crowded.
Matunuck point. This break LOOKS great, but it sucks for bodyboarding. It's too
shallow of a take off and it doesn't accelerate you enough so you end up stuck
in the white wash. It's a really SLOW wave. Great for longboards though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06jRyG-YpL8

Here's good old ganset beach during hurricane gonzalo. Got to love the close
outs and a shortboarder having to pump to move while on a wave in a overhead
hurricane swell! lol!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OY0p4-_2DY

Ruggles on a solid noreaster swell(forget the hurricane bill footage. That's
oNce a decade swell)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-LTmkv7Ax4
Barrels for like 2 seconds AND that's a BIG ass swell which rarely happen.

Let's compare the garbage point breaks in RI to a world class point break

jeffrey's bay for peoople who don't know how good a point break can get. Ri's
point breaks suck.(SPONGER AT 1:50!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf-u7020dsk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxJccOb0HpE
Too bad the place is teeming with sharks. Put some netting up and I'd take a
canoe from cape cod and paddle all the way out to ride a break like that.
Look at how clean it is. RI point breaks like point judith are not only mushy,
but disorganized.

Now compare all that garbage in RI to this in NJ:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fhojmb2GyI

Why are NJ breaks so superior to RI?
Two words: Less beaches and less Jetties and no piers(I'm talking piers at sandy
beaches that you walk on!). How many piers do you see along the long stretches
of beach in RI? Piers collect sand from the long shore current and create a
workable wave. That's why we have MILES AND MILES of beach break(east beach in
Charlestown for example) all the way to matunuck that have ZERO waves and people
skimboard on and nothing else.


The only time RI beats NJ is on a HUGE super long period hurricane swell that
causes huge close outs. So basically twice a year RI will be better. The rest of
the time NJ smokes it. RI is fickle and some beachies can get good at times, but
most of the time they don't work well. Contrast that with NJ which has MILES AND
MILES of beach break that consistenly deliver good hollow fun fast barrels. So
sure someone can post a video of a break going off once or twice a year, but
that doesn't mean that's what it normally looks like during a swell. I just gave
you an honest assesment, which is hard to find on the internet.

If you don't believe me Or just take a look at the high def cams from NJ during
a couple of swells. It blows RI out of the water when it comes to good waves for
bodyboarding.

 

Finally, NJ is WAY warmer than RI. Just today for example. It was in the upper
50s air temp on the beach(check wunderground temps from point judith and other ON the
water locations. Westerly airport and newport airport are not on the water)
comapred to 72 in point pleasant.Solid 10 degree air temp difference(sometimes nearing 20 degree difference) during spring/summer. It NEVER hits 90 on the beach in RI. Maybe once a year if you get lucky and a sea breeze will immediately kick on lowering it 10 degrees.
It struggles to hit 70. Summer here lasts a few weeks in AUgust/july with temps maxing out in mid 70s on the beach. low 60s in the morning. It's basically cold year round in new england. That huge southern ocean exposure means sw winds which bring warm air blow over the ocean. I hate the cold. It sucks. In winter the difference is much less. They're both freezing cold. I now what the haters will say...the love the cold...warm water is for puss^es...Yeah yeah blah blah I guess everyone is hawaii is a P^ssy. lol.

I haven't named any spots on here that haven't been named a 100 times before on this forum.(sadly)

Oh and don't bother uploiading videos of a spot working once in a blue moon(ie ruggles in 2009 during bill, point judith in 95 during that cane swell ect.) I'm talking about what the breaks look on an average basis.

 

Oh and when it comes to winds, nj spongers can travel to long island when the wind is out of the northeast so RI doesn't have it beat there either.

 

I'm really desperate for waves. 1 day of waist high plus clean waves in 5 weeks with nothing in sight. I'm moving to hawaii or cali. F this crap.

 

I'm not into drop kneeing, but yeah he shreds for sure!

I could make a better video than that. Most of the video is of people surfing sucky mush burgers on longboards. Why are they filiming middle aged surfers in a bodyboarding video? Very stange. Again beach breaks looked better in the video. Typical RI boring surf videos.He shreds for sure. Not a knock against the rider in the video at all. But footage was awful.

You should have posted this video.
[video=youtube;_yRh5t0cqn0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yRh5t0cqn0[/video]
Here's some heavy stuff in rhode island. I wouldn't touch that break. it's breaking in knee high deep water with boulders. It almost never breaks the way it's breaking in the video and it needs a massive ground swell so isn't a break you can usually ride since 90% of our swell is windswell and you have a good chance of getting seriously injured.

 

[video=youtube;QAtxKJ4o-D0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAtxKJ4o-D0[/video]
Jenks pro. Nj bodyboarding. These are pros. Normal spongers aren't riding at this level obviously, but cool to see jeff hubbard out on the ec! Anyway who's being even slightly honest knows NJ is way better bro!

 

[video=youtube;Rha5l0Zy_XA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rha5l0Zy_XA[/video]
Here was NJ on the same swell as the video above back in april from monahan's. Nevermind the rest of nj has probably 50 miles of shifting sandbars with a place to get at it. If anything NJ can get TOO heavy sometimes and it unmakeable at some spots on solid swells. Hell, not only are those RI points mushy, but more importantly they lack good shape and speed in spots. The waves don't form as cleanly as on these sand bars. On an average 4.6 feet at 9 seconds, give me jersey. That's our usual fun chest high sets. I'm not going to lie sometimes I have trouble getting out when it gets overhead at a big beach break and there aren't any lulls. I much prefer the lulls. More waves and I last longer.

 

SAME DATE/SWELL AS VIDEO POSTED ABOVE. GOOD TO COMPARE. ON a daily basis on an average swell, nj offers up all kinds of a-frames. RI is fickle and has less options and the rock reefs are brutal in a wind swell. Even on a ground swell, most are mushy and have scattered boulders for potential stupid injuries.
[video=youtube;qcwmtBFp1Qo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcwmtBFp1Qo[/video]

 

One thing that drives me crazy is people uploading videos BLOWING up spots just to prove how good their area is(I'd never tell anyone) or because some pro is in town and wants some footage. Terrible for the locals when this happens.

 

It's the SAME break. I know where the break is and I can see some stuff that confirm it. They called it "maine"...I respect that. Don't understand why in the bodyboard-x video they decided they had to name many breaks. Totally unnecessary.

As far as Australia vs. NJ...yeah not much of a contest. Just like hawaii vs nj. We are talking ec here. Anyway, obviously I won't be riding a wave like cyclops anyway. I'm not a kamikaze pro sponger. It's above my pay grade. lol

Just give me some fun belmar "23 footers"----23 foot belmar wave size scale (ie chest high with occasional head high) and I'm a happy sponger.