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Surfing Hurricane Noel in epic conditions
By DANIEL PULLEN  Please note before you read any further that launching personal watercraft, also known as Jet Skis, from the beach on National Park Service property is not permitted. Keeping that in mind, let's talk about Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 3 and 4. Epic surfing conditions on Hatteras caught the attention of surfers up and down the East Coast as Hurricane Noel swept by just offshore. Although many could not get down to the island because of road closures, there were many surfers and spectators who witnessed this event. You will get various accounts from folks about the surf. It was "all time" Hatteras or it was horrible, but I am sure that all will agree that the surf was B-I-G! One of the first sights of the weekend was several guys tow-in surfing. Tow-in surfing has been around for several years. Basically it is personal watercraft assisted surfing. Waves that are too big to paddle into are accessible with the help of a personal watercraft. A surfer holds onto a rope attached to the craft. The driver guides the surfer into the wave, and the surfer lets go and drops into the wave. Grabbing the attention of onlookers at the Lighthouse Beach in Buxton, several local surfers braved the massive waves tow-in surfing on Saturday. Although the waves on Saturday were definitely paddle-worthy, the Jet Ski made waves that were inaccessible, accessible. The waves were breaking about a 1/2 mile to 3/4 mile from the shore. In a nutshell, the guys were tow-in surfing Diamond Shoals. Wave heights were estimated by the surfers out in the water at about 15 to 25 feet with a few 30 footers breaking way outside. Hatteras Island residents Will Skudin, Joey Crum, Brett Barley, and Morgan O'Connell were some of the few who actually braved the water. Hundreds of surfers lined the beach from Nags Head to Hatteras in awe of the huge waves, but only a few dozen ventured in. By Sunday the news of the surf had reached up and down the East Coast and more surfers, photographers, and spectators showed up on the beaches. A few more surfers ventured out, but the day belonged to Brett Barley of Buxton. His ability to catch and read waves this day was ahead of everyone else in the water. By Sunday afternoon, the surf tapered off some, but it was still very big with about 6- to 12-foot waves. Many more surfers were able to enjoy the surf on Monday when wave heights ranged from 3 to 5 feet. Local surfers at Cape Hatteras Secondary School of Coastal Studies daydreamed about the waves all day, until the bell rang at 3. The kids were in the water by 3:15. As quick as the waves came up, they were back down. As I type this, the ocean is back to normal. Flat and wind onshore. For more photos of weekend surf around the Outer Banks, check out www.surfkdh.com. Click Here To View Slideshow 
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