Above: JTY Ambassador Pedro Fernandez by Wolfe That was a great warm up and we’re feeling loose. As Hurricane Ernesto makes his way across the Atlantic Ocean, we’re all getting back to emails and dogs that have been ignored for a few days. After an East Coast summer without a lot of sizeable surf, first Debby and then Ernesto, gave the right side of the country a reason to get excited. And it may just be the start. Months before the beginning of the 2024 Hurricane Season, there was a lot of chatter about this year, specifically just how damn warm the Atlantic Ocean was. The science guys were noting that in regions where spinners spawn, water temps had barely dropped off from the end of last season. And El Nino had phased out meaning less trade winds and shearing. Temps across the whole region remained high enough through the start of summer to cause a mix of concern and excitement – “tempering our expectations,” as we say at Jetty. We know both sides of the coin. We not only start moving meetings and changing plans when the buoy readings dictate, but we are well versed and involved in storm recovery after landfall. By the numbers, Ernesto was not a historic storm, nor epic swell. It was a named storm for a full week, maxing out at Cat 2 strength bouncing off Puerto Rico and Bermuda and then tracking northeast away from our coast. At peak intensity, Ernesto had winds of 100 mph. It also claimed a house in the perennial hot spot near S-Turns on the Outer Banks. But it managed to send a multi-day swell from the Caribbean up through the Canadian Maritimes. Jetty staff and ambassadors were all over it, from the Dominican Republic to giant green peaks in North Carolina, searching for corners in New Jersey and running up the coast of New England. One thing about August storms is that for the East Coast, our summer season is still at full tilt, a season our coastal communities rely on to pay the bills for the rest of the year. You really have to Draw Your Own line to balance out sessions, work, and commitments. The other thing is that they’re often a warm-up for the frequency of tropical swell each September. We’re pretty warmed up now. And if you emailed us this week, we’re getting to it real soon. Right after we walk our dogs. ~ Words by Jon Coen Below: JTY Ambassador Dallas Tolson by Jeffrey O'Neil
