Rockaway

When you think of New York City, surfing definitely isn't the first thing that comes to mind.  You'd probably think Skyscrapers, Subways, Wall Street, Fashion, Tennis, etc. etc.  But this week the ASP heads to New York City where Quiksilver is hosting stop 6 of the World Tour at Long Beach, Long Island.  There's been plenty of chat about Quiksilver cashing in on crowd potential and exposure at the expense of quality of waves and fair enough looking at the slop that the event trails were held in this morning.  But talk amongst the locals is that New York can produce epic waves and although it may not stack up against last week's Tahitian affair, a fresh hurricane in the Atlantic may mean Quiksilver has the last laugh. I took the subway out to Rockaway Beach, New York City's closest beach for a jetlaged wander down the boardwalk and a peak at the surf-scene.  My first impressions were pretty grim;  I'd found the beach but there wasn't a surfer or a wave to be seen; just onshore unridable wind-chop.    After a hour wondering the boardwalk I finally encountered my first New York surfer and it became pretty obvious I'd hopped off the subway at the wrong stop.   The surf was by no means pumping but there were some fun, crumbly 1-2 footers coming though and the banks looked to be pretty shapely.  The guys I talked to said the week before was cooking just before Hurricane Irene passed though and checking it out you could see the potential.  Got me pretty amped to see what comes out of this next storm.  All-time New York City for the best surfers in the world?  Maybe.  We'll just have to wait and see!  Tune in the Quiksilver Pro website