The Carolina coastline in the United States has been said to have some of the best surfing conditions in all of America! Most residents in these hurricane-prone spots typically dread the summer months and hurricane season, but the surfers who live there take advantage of the situation and get excited when they hear a hurricane is coming their way, let us tell you why.
Hurricanes develop due to low pressure fronts. The low pressure produces wave after wave. Surfers get excited about this because it means consistent waves. Another aspect of the hurricane is wind. The longer the wind has to travel, the bigger the waves get as they hit the shoreline. Hurricanes that come in from the Atlantic Ocean begin off of Africa, which means the wind has a long way to travel. When a coastal area is facing a hurricane warning, you should avoid surfing. You will get a couple of days before the storm hits where the waves will be ideal for surfing, catch some waves then. Play it smart when the hurricane actually lands. If you are not a seasoned surfer, be careful when you attempt to catch these ‘hurricane waves’. These waves tend to be about four times the size of average waves. If you are constantly riding smaller waves, one of these ‘hurricane waves’ will be extremely dangerous if you are not properly prepared.
Waves that are this size are dangerous. They can knock you completely unconscious and even break your bones. Even if you make it through after getting wiped out you can lose your board and be facing a dangerous rip current. Every year Surfers drown because they get pulled out to sea by rip currents. If you become stuck in a rip current, you need to swim parallel to the land on a slight angle and get closer to the beach until the current subsides. Swimming against the dangerous current will only make you more tired and keep you in the dangerous situation.
The bottom line is, hurricanes do create amazing conditions for surfers. That being said, you need to be smart and you have to be safe. Take the weather warnings seriously and do not attempt to surf if you are not experienced in riding bigger waves.