Endless winter: Surfing in New England

Surfing in the Northeast? Let's set the record straight: Unlike Hawaii or California, it's not exactly a hot surfing destination for travelers. A recent Eastern Surfing Association gathering was cancelled due to lack of waves, and prime surfing season -- when the waves are biggest -- comes in the dead of winter. Not much of an impetus to hang 10.

But avid surfer Dean Petty, an instructor and competitor, said the coast's gentle summer waves make it a good place for newcomers to this challenging sport. "It's low-impact and a good workout. With the ocean and conditions always changing, you're always learning something new," said Petty, who is based in Kittery Point, Maine. "Once you try it, you'll be hooked."

Drive up to Ogunquit or Long Sands Beach in York, Maine, Hampton Beach in New Hampshire, or Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, and chances are you'll see local surfers perfecting their technique. In this tight community, clubs and surfing shops proliferate, with such sites as NESurf.com providing "New England-centric surf" information and weather forecasts.

Although it may seem as though there's not much to a surfboard, spend a little time talking with diehard surfers such as Los Angeles-based Rebecca Heller of the webzine Surflikeagirl.net, and you'll realize that the heavy wood or fiberglass surfboard typical of the 1960s documentary "Endless Summer" has given way to advances in technology and materials.

The latest trends in surfboards include eco-friendly bamboo boards made with fewer toxic chemicals; cheaper, mass-produced surfboards that mimic the quality of more expensive boards; and retro-look models that are true to the details handed down through generations.

Longtime surfer Andrew Krupa, chairman of the Connecticut Surfrider Foundation, an environmentally based group for water sports, said beginners should start with either a "soft top" board made of spongy, foam-like material, or a classic longboard, typically 7 feet to 9 feet long. Both offer more stability and flotation, allowing novices to master the art of "popping up" -- standing on the board, then staying balanced. This basic maneuver can take an entire summer to accomplish.

The sport of surfing -- a worldwide industry with its own professional tours and personalities -- revolves mainly around the shortboard, made for doing tricks such as aerials, floaters, and 360s, or the "gun," a long, thin board made for big waves.

New England's flatter and smaller waves ride better with a typical longboard, said Krupa, adding that a longboard should be at least six inches taller than the user's height. Longboards usually have a rounded tail and nose and are wide and thick, but these features can vary.

Resist the impulse to go to a surf shop such as Liquid Dreams in Ogunquit, Maine, or Gansett Juice in Narragansett, R.I., and buy a shiny new board. "Your first board is like your first car. You'll run into the mailbox with it," Heller said. "Get a used board that's thick and wide and over 8 feet long, and master that board first."

Essential surfing accessories include a leash that ties to a surfer's ankle so the board doesn't float away; wax to help feet stick to the board; fins, which help control the board, and in New England, a wetsuit.

"Face it, if you surf here, you need to deal with the cold water," said Petty, who is a year-round surfer. In the wintertime, he said, he's head-to-toe in neoprene.

"You have to be dedicated and crazy," he said.

But the benefit of surfing in New England is that the beaches don't have "an aggressive vibe," said Petty, who has surfed in Hawaii, Nicaragua, and Indonesia. "Locals are friendly and nonjudgmental. Beginners won't feel intimidated."