Sessions: The Dog Days

 The crowd filled in and the sun's heat intensified as we braced for the possibility of another long flat summer. This year's dog days were the exception, with several systems sending swell and even a few surprises (Ernesto being one.) We reveled in stoke, yet there was another factor that played a role in refining the shape of the waves; the Army Corps of Engineers. Their machinery moved around the clock and sand was pumped in to stave off the inevitable.

 Predictably, the surrounding beach break became hollower and split peaks were popping up to the north and south of the main focus areas. In Saint Augustine, the way in which the point started to take shape when the dozers pushed out, one had to wonder; was there someone on the project that has a thing for fiberglass? That remains a mystery but (for the most part) respect was returned when surfers were given the freedom to seek out key spots as workers dredged onward.

 Opinions will always vary on how to prevent erosion but one thing is for sure, as we were receiving roughly 2.5 million cubic yards of sand, there were days when dudes were getting spat out of lil barreling beach break like human cannonballs. 

 

All photographs below courtesy of The Surf Station - © Mark Townsend @hangthetoes. See yourself in an image below? Contact us at mark@surf-station.com or 904-471-9463 to get a digital copy or print for yourself!

 

Surfer: Your Mind

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