Eastern Surfing Association Update – July 2010

July Surfing Report: “Tybee Surfing – Alive, Well and Exploding!”

by Joe Richardson

Based on the success, amount of fun, and participation of surfers of all ages during Tybee’s International Surfing Day Celebration in June, Tybee surfing is alive, well, and growing.  With the amount of fun and activity on the beach and in the water throughout that beautiful Tybee day, you would have thought we were having glassy, overhead swells!  All the businesses, sponsors and partners with the Surfrider Foundation chapter on the beach stayed busy with surfers of all ages trying out the varieties of surfboards and stand-up paddle boards that they supplied for all to use.  Lots of volunteers were offering lessons, especially to kids, and the waves were just right for learning to surf and SUP.  There were lots of product give-aways along with some raffles for prizes, and a few contests for prizes.  We weren’t even near the end of the day when everybody agreed that we need to do this sort of event more often on Tybee.  It was just too much fun for everyone!

But without a doubt, the highlight of the day’s festivities was Tybee’s very first Push and Surf Contest organized by Tara Mosley (see front cover photo).  In the Push and Surf, kids 10 years old and under headed out into the waves with an adult who could help push the young surfer into the wave to catch a ride.  And ride they did!  These kids were terrific, surfing all the way to the beach.  It was hard to tell who was having more fun: the kids surfing, the adults and parents in the water helping them catch their first waves, or the throngs of spectators and photographers on the beach cheering them on.  The young surfers were wearing the bright colored competition jerseys provided by the Georgia District Eastern Surfing Association, and Jeff Mosley (who announces surf contests up and down the east coast) provided wave-by-wave commentary throughout the 15 minute heats.  There were so many competitors that two heats (groups) had to be run to accommodate all the young surfers.  In the end, all the competitors were awarded medals that were placed around their necks by surfer and professional snow skier Atsushi Yamada.  A ton of great memories, photographs and videos were created during this contest, and there can be no doubt that lots of kids and parents realized the stoke of surfing.  You’ve got to believe that we will be seeing lots of these kids surfing Tybee in the coming years.

Tybee YMCA Surf Camps: And speaking of kids surfing, the Tybee YMCA Surf Camps are in full swing.  These week-long camps provide kids not only instruction in surfing, but lots of needed and useful information about water safety, surfing etiquette, and use and care of equipment.  The camps have plenty of excellent instructors, so that surfers of all levels, from beginner through ready-for-competition, can gain from the week’s experience.  Jimmy Manning is heading up the instructional camps this summer, and he has a tremendous crew of helpers, many of whom are top-level competitive surfers.  To find out more about the upcoming Surf Camps, contact the Tybee YMCA.

Eastern Surfing Association Contest Dates:
The remaining dates for 2010 ESA-GA District surfing and bodyboarding contests are listed below. Not only are these contests competitive for surfers of all ages and abilities, they are the pathway leading to higher levels of competition at regional and national levels as well.  So the competition is for real. For more information about our GA District ESA activities, check our facebook page, or email: surftybee@aol.com:

Aug 14th – 7:00am sign up           Sept 11th – 7:00am sign up
Oct  2nd – 10:00am sign up,          Oct 16th – 10:00am sign up

Unless otherwise noted, the contests are held near 17th Street.  Perhaps the best way to stay informed about contest updates and the GA ESA in general, is through their facebook page, and while we’re talking about the GA ESA, this year should prove to be a very interesting and competitive surfing season.  Among the top young surfers, it will be exciting to watch Robert Powers, Noah Mosely, Alex Powers, and Ichi Yamada this year.  Robert, Noah and Alex have been surfing through the winter and spring, and Ichi spent the winter snow skiing and snow boarding in Japan, so all three of these young rippers will be better than ever.  Among the young lady surfing competitors, Georgia Cook is back on Tybee this summer (from Tennessee) and she will be shredding some waves and looking to use last year’s competition experience to move up the ranks.   Last year, 14 year-old (at the time) Josh Richardson battled throughout the season to capture the coveted Open Division Championship, and you can believe that there are plenty of guys and gals who will be going all out this year to capture the Open Championship from Josh.  The Men’s Division is always extremely competitive and close, and this year will be no different.  And the guys in the “fossils” division will all be another year older, so it will be interesting to see how an additional year of “experience” has improved their performances!  But there can be no doubt that if even half the kids that are in the Y’s surf camps and some from the ISD Push and Surf contest turn out to enter the Menehune Division, a whole new level of excitement will be added.  So whether you want to compete, or just to watch some of the east coast’s top surfers in action, come on out to the GA ESA contests.  They are family-friendly, and it’s very impressive to watch the surfers compete against each other while working together to put on a great contest.

HIGHLIGHTS OF INTERNATIONAL SURFING DAY ON TYBEE
Tybee’s Finest Young Waterboarders:
1. Alex Powers

2. Georgia Cook

3. Ichi Yamada

4. Noah Mosely

5. Robert Powers

Eastern Surfing Association Update – June 2010

June Surfing Report

“Eastern Surfing Association Georgia District News”

by Joe Richardson

ESA Contest Schedule for 2010:

The 2010 ESA-GA District surfing and bodyboarding contest schedule has been approved, and the first contest is coming soon.  Not only are these contests competitive for surfers of all ages and abilities, but they are the pathway leading to higher levels of competition at regional and national levels as well.  So the competition is for real.

But as most ESA participants (and their families) will tell you, the contests are more FUN than anything.  People wait for the schedule to come out, put those dates (Saturdays) on their calendars, and plan other weekends around those contest weekends.  If you haven’t participated in our GA District ESA contests before, I encourage you to give it a try.

Enjoy the camaraderie, the fun, and the rush of competition. For more information about our GA District ESA activities, see the facebook page: or email: surftybee@aol.com

So, here are the dates and sign-in times for the 2010 contest season.  Contests are usually held near 17th Street.

June 19th   8:30
July 17th    7:30
July 31st    7:30
Aug 14th   7:00
Sept 11th   7:00
Oct 2nd     10:00
Oct 16th    10:00

Skim Boarding Contest

The 7th annual 17th SB Skim Contest is teaming up this year with Skim Invasion for the “Tybee Island Take Over 2010” skim board contest.  This will also be on Saturday, June 19th, from 9am til 7pm.  Contest site will be either the North Beach jetty or 2nd Street.  For more information Check the Facebook Event Page at: facebook.com. Also, check out Skim Invasion’s website to see the list of great prizes they are going to be awarding.  This is big-time skim boarding competition coming to Tybee.  Skim Invasion’s website is: skiminvasion.com/events/contests/tybee-island/. See you there on Saturday!!!

Important Announcement

A quick and important announcement before getting into the June surfing report.  On Saturday morning, June 19th (before the ISD and ESA events get underway) at 9:30am, all members and friends of the Tybee surfing community are invited to participate in a PADDLE OUT in memory of one of our surfing family members, Charles Pidgeon, who passed away last winter.  Please gather on the beach near 17th Street a few minutes before 9:30am, and feel free to bring some flowers for the paddle out circle.  Whether you knew Charles or not, you are invited to participate in this traditional surfers’ ceremony for one of our surfer brothers or sisters.

June Surfing Update

Those pesky Lions Mane jellyfish have finally dwindled, and now we should have a few months of warm water and pleasant surfing conditions before the Sea Wasps show up in late July and early August.  Late May also brought a few days of head-high surf while a low-pressure system sat offshore for awhile.  During some afternoons of that week there were 50-70 surfers in the water at any one time down at South Beach.  Hopefully this is just the beginning of a good surfing summer.  With the crowds, though, be considerate of others, including swimmers, and wear a leash.  And a quick congratulations to Josh Richardson who was recently notified that he has earned a slot and has been invited to surf in the Surfing America USA Championships in the Junior Longboard division, June 19-28, at Huntington Beach and Lower Trestles, California.

International Surfing Day Celebration, Saturday June 19th

Tybee’s annual surfing “event” is coming up this month, International Surfing Day.  The Coastal Georgia Low Country Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation will be sponsoring our ISD celebration on Saturday, June 19th, on the beach between 17th and 18th Street.  Some national sponsors will be providing some goodies, but the real stars of our celebration are our local supporters, partners and sponsors.  Many of them will be bringing and providing equipment for us to try out in our Tybee Surf.  Others are providing services both off and on the beach, like lessons and sponsoring activities.  Some will be giving away samples.  And others will be providing and distributing information of interest to surfers and non-surfers.  So there will be plenty for everyone.  Celebrate “the longest day of the year” in the surf on beautiful, healthy Tybee Beach!

The Coastal Georgia Low Country Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation would like to thank in advance the long list of supporters and sponsors for our 2010 International Surfing Day Celebration.

These are the people and businesses that make our celebration happen:

Tybee Island Marine Science Center – displaying common beach animals
Eastern Surfing Association Georgia District – providing PA equipment and contest
North Island Surf and Kayak – providing kayaks, SUP’s and instruction
Photography by Joey Wilson – providing professional photography for our surfers year-round
Tybee Island YMCA – providing surfing lessons and boards
Underground Boardworks – providing boards (and probably some surprises!)
Coastal Environmental Analysis – providing publicity and computer/printing services
High Tide Surf Shop – providing surf boards, SUP’s, and other equipment for use
The Tybee Times – providing professional print and electronic publicity
Savannah Bee Company – providing some delicious give-aways (don’t miss these)
Smart Girls Who Surf – providing skin care and sunscreen information and samples
Tubby’s Tank House – provides the Surfriders with a place to meet every month
Yoga With Christine – providing yoga on the beach
Surf-Vival Reef Friendly Sunscreens – providing sunscreen samples and skin care information
Half Moon Outfitters – providing equipment and displays and instruction

For more information visit: surfesa.org, or call: 912-897-6651,

May Surfing Report

April brought us some warmer weather, warming water temperatures (thank goodness), some surprisingly good swells during the last week of April, and lots of Lion’s Mane jellyfish!  These jellyfish are our typical late winter-time jellies.  So I’m guessing that because of our long colder-than-normal winter water temperatures, and now rapidly warming water, the Lion’s Mane “season” has been shortened and concentrated.  Luckily, their “sting” is pretty mild, and to me is more of an “irritation” than a sting.  You know you’ve been hit, but it’s not enough to bring you out of the water.

With the warming water and pleasant air temperature in late April and now May, surfers are wearing everything from full suits to “skinning it.”  During the last week of April when a surprisingly good swell lasted for a few days, you could see surfers wearing the full range at any one time.  Hopefully now that May is here, we can put away all the neoprene for a while.  Of course we do have to go through a few sessions with a fresh new batch of skin “abrasions” as we get back into boardshorts, bikinis and rash guards.  It’s a price most of us are willing to pay for not having to wrestle in and out of a wetsuit.

International Surfing Day, June 19th at Tybee
Plans are taking shape for a great 2010 International Surfing Day Celebration on Tybee Island.  This year’s celebration will be on Saturday, June 19th, on the beach between 17th and 18th Street.  A full day of activities are planned thanks to local supporters and partners.  The Surfrider Foundation Coastal Georgia Low Country Chapter is organizing the celebration, and joining them are a number of local sponsors and supporters including:  Underground Boardworks Surfshop, High Tide Surfshop, North Island Surf and Kayak, Yoga With Christine, Joey Wilson Photography, Coastal Environmental Analysis, Tybee Island Marine Science Center, Tybee Island YMCA, Georgia District Eastern Surfing Association and The Tybee Times.  If you would like to join this list of local supporters, please contact the Surfrider Foundation through their website at: http://www.surfrider.org/coastalgeorgia.
We will soon be announcing dates for Georgia District ESA surfing and body boarding contests for the 2010 season. The Eastern Surfing Association Georgia District has submitted to the City of Tybee Island a list of tentative dates for permission to hold the 2010 GA District ESA surfing and body board contests. These dates will not be official until approved by the City, so tune in next month for the official list.

Who’s Going to VA Beach, May 13-16?
Some of the top competitive surfers in our area will be representing our Eastern Surfing Association Georgia District in the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship that will be held this year at Virginia Beach.  These surfers have earned slots in this invitation-only regional competition that will include the top surfers from the east coast from Delaware through Georgia.  Not only will they be seeking regional honors, they will be surfing to advance in rankings high enough to earn invitations to the “Easterns,” which is the East Coast Championship for the ESA that will be held in September at Cape Hatteras, NC.

Jeff and Tara Mosley (GA District Directors) will helping to run the Regional Championship contest.  Jeff will be the announcer throughout the 4-day event, and Tara will be involved in tabulating judges’ scores and determining results.  We wish these folks the best of luck, and we look forward to seeing them again this year during our Georgia District contests:

Conrad Fonseca – Boys Shortboard
Josh Richardson – Junior Mens Shortboard, Junior Longboard, and Open Shortboard
Joey Crook – Mens Shortboard and Open Shortboard
Rolando Gamboa – Masters Shortboard

Surfing Report

by Joe Richardson

Local Surfers Invited to ESA Mid-Atlantic Championships, Virginia Beach

Several of the Eastern Surfing Association Georgia District surfers have earned invitations to and slotted positions in the ESA’s Mid Atlantic Regional Surfing Championships.  This year, the Mid Atlantic Regionals will be held at Virginia Beach, VA, during a 4 day period in mid May.  Our Georgia District surfers being invited and their divisions, based on their performances during the 2009 district contest season are:

Noah Mosely – Menehunes
James Urbin – Boys
Josh Richardson – Junior Men
Ben Thompson – Men
Rolando Bamboa – Masters
Montee Coursey – Senior Men
Randall Kato – Grand Masters
Jimmy Manning – Legends
Jennifer Wittendorf – Women
William Urbin – Menehune Longboard
Josh Richardson – Junior Longboard
Ben Thompson – Mens Longboard
Joey Crook – Mens Longboard
Atsushi Yamada – Masters Longboard
Joe Richardson – Legends Longboard
Jennifer Wittendor – Womens Longboard
Josh Richardson – Open (all ages)
Ben Thompson – Open (all ages)

International Surfing Day Celebration, June 19th

Plans are being made for the 2010 International Surfing Day Celebration on Tybee Island.  This year’s celebration will be on Saturday, June 19th, on the beach between 17th and 18th Street.  A full day of activities are planned thanks to local supporters and partners.

The Surfrider Foundation Coastal Georgia Low Country Chapter is organizing the celebration, and joining them are a number of local sponsors and supporters including:  Underground Boardworks Surf Shop, High Tide Surf Shop, North Island Surf and Kayak, Yoga With Christine, Joey Wilson Photography, Coastal Environmental Analysis, Tybee Island Marine Science Center, Tybee Island YMCA, Georgia District Eastern Surfing Association and The Tybee Times.  If you would like to join this list of local supporters, please contact the Surfriders through their website:   http://www.surfrider.org/coastalgeorgia

Island Sports Wrap-Up for March

March 2010 Surfing Report
March sure does sound better than February.  After this colder-than-I-can-remember winter, we can sure hope that spring will not only bring waves, but also some milder weather.  This past winter, not only was it cold, with below average winter water temperature, but it has also been pretty flat.  Spring has just got to be better!  With this optimistic view, plans are being made for a number of events and activities of interest to surfers and other beach sportsmen and watermen.  Although the surfing seems a bit slow right now, there is actually a good bit of things going on.

Eastern Surfing Association Georgia District
Before long, the Eastern Surfing Association Georgia District will be developing its schedule of surfing and bodyboarding contests for 2010.  Many of the ESA-GA District surfers are already preparing themselves for their next level of competition – the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships.  This spring, the Regionals will be in Virginia Beach in mid May.  As time gets closer and the group of surfers representing our district is selected, we will announce their names.  In the mean time, be watching for our own ESA Georgia District 2010 contest schedule.

The ESA-GA District is proud to have one of its members on the prestigious ESA All Star Team, Josh Richardson, for 2010.  Josh, along with other All Star Team members, were publicly announced and introduced to the surfing industry during the January Surf Expo in Orlando during January.  He has already taken part in a training session at New Smyrna Inlet, and has a busy competition schedule during the remaining part of this winter and into spring including: “Daytona Longboard Classic” (pro and amateur), the ESA and Texas Gulf Surfing Association sponsored “East Coast Scholastic Championships” at New Smyrna Inlet, and the National Scholastic Surfing Association’s “East Coast Championships” at Sebastian Inlet.

Surfrider Foundation Coastal Georgia Low Country Chapter
The next Surfrider meeting will be Monday evening, March 15th.  Unless otherwise announced, meetings will be on the third Monday of each month at Tubby’s Restaurant in Thunderbolt, starting at 7:00pm.  If you currently do not receive email notices of Surfrider Foundation meetings, but would like to, just check the Coastal Georgia Low Country Surfrider Foundation website, www.surfrider.org/coastalgeorgia for updates and how to get involved.  Among other things, the local Surfrider Chapter will be involved in the consideration of plans to place sediments dredged from the Savannah River into the nearshore waters off Tybee Island.  The next Surfrider Adopt A Highway litter pick-up along Highway 80, just west of Lazaretto Creek Bridge, is scheduled for March 27th.  If you would like to help clean the path to Tybee and intercept some debris before it makes its way to the beach, plan to join the Surfriders at the Lazaretto Creek boat ramp Saturday morning, March 27th.

International Surfing Day Celebration on Tybee will be June 19th
Mark your calendars for our International Surfing Day 2010 Celebration, Saturday, June 19.  Plans are already being made for a full, fun day at Tybee Island to celebrate surfing, skimming, standup paddling, bodyboarding, kayaking, and other beach activities.  Soon, an ISD website will be created with specific information about our events, activities, sponsors and partners.  If you or your business would like to be involved in this annual beach celebration, please contact the Coastal Georgia Low Country Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.

Shore Bird and Beach Water Quality Study Update
The GA DNR supported study being conducted by the City of Tybee Island regarding possible impacts of shore birds on beach water quality is currently well underway.  In late January, members and supporters of the Coastal Georgia Low Country Surfrider chapter assisted in gathering information and data during the first (of eight) beach samplings.  Dr. Joe Richardson of Coastal Environmental Analysis trained the volunteers on setting up 100m long transects along two sections of beach and gathering shore bird data.  Following the beach data-gathering study conducted at low tide, water samples were collected from both study areas every 2 hours for the following 10 hours.  If you are interested in helping and participating in this research project, contact Dr. Richardson at joe@ceasurf.com.

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