. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. A, Ls veteran surfer Bob Sykes surveys the pounding waves in the Atlantic Ocean at Avon, he compares the surf to a washing machine. "It's disorganized and has a lot of current," says Sykes. "It's more work than fun. The ideal waves are head-high and glassy, with the wind blowing over ; Despite the choppy conditions, Sykes and other die-hard surfers are competing in the Outer Banks/Eastern Surfing Association (ESA) contest. About 110 surfers from age 6 to 55 participate in the all-d
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. A, Ls veteran surfer Bob Sykes surveys the pounding waves in the Atlantic Ocean at Avon, he compares the surf to a washing machine. "It's disorganized and has a lot of current," says Sykes. "It's more work than fun. The ideal waves are head-high and glassy, with the wind blowing over ; Despite the choppy conditions, Sykes and other die-hard surfers are competing in the Outer Banks/Eastern Surfing Association (ESA) contest. About 110 surfers from age 6 to 55 participate in the all-day competition. As the horn blows, Sykes and other surfers paddle out on their long boards to where the waves break. Dressed in wetsuits and colorful shirts, they disappear in the brutal surf until they find a wave to ride. When the surfers find a good wave, they stay up on their boards for only a few seconds before disappearing again into the soapy, brutal surf. The contestants look like break-dancers on the ocean as they leap on and off their boards. When surfing conditions are good, surfers from all over the country bring their boards to the beaches along the Outer Banks, which have developed a reputation for some of the best waves on the East Coast. What makes the Outer Banks a good surfing spot? "If you want big surf, you go to Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks," says Stan Riggs, professor of marine geology at East Carolina University (ECU) and a former North Carolina Sea Grant researcher. "The continental shelf at the Cape is very steep and narrow, allowing the full brunt of the Atlantic Ocean's waves to reach the shoreline. "Northward into Virginia and New Jersey and southward into South Carolina and Georgia, the continental shelf becomes increasingly wider and shallower, causing the ocean waves to expend their energy dragging across the shelf rather than on the ; Other good surfing spots include Avon, Rodanthe and Oregon Inlet to the north
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
