Last post, I mentioned I’d been to a bunch of cities in the US over the past couple of months – Miami, Milwaukee, Chicago – and I’m lucky enough to just have visited the beautiful island of Curaçao.  In each I connected with the surf community, hoping to both get in the water and to check off a couple bucket list items. I’d love to surf a lake. Not many places that’s possible – Milwaukee is one of them.

Then a couple days ago, talking to one of my friends, I asked what my next post should be about. He said “talk about the lengths we go to trying to forecast surf for the next morning, but how in the end it almost doesn’t matter.” Brilliant idea, friend.

So here we go.

What does he mean by the lengths we go to? There are a bunch of factors that can tell us if there will be or won’t be surf. Wind direction, wind speed, time of tide, size of tide, swell direction, swell height, swell period and surf height are all critical and all need to come together just right, like ingredients in a recipe, for the right conditions.

We as a community are damn near crazy tracking these factors. Personally, I use these apps:

1. Surfline
2. Marine Weather Forecast Pro
3. Windy.app
4. The Weather Channel App
5. NOAA Radar and Weather Forecast

Night before, as we’re figuring out if we’ll sleep on the couch, set our alarms and wake early, we open and refresh these apps constantly. I open Surfline. Question the wind speed. Open The Weather Channel. Compare the two wind speeds. Open Marine Weather Forecast. Check out the wind. See a different direction. Look at the other two again. Close them all. An hour later, I do the same thing again, like a mad scientist constantly messing with his gadgets and gizmos. And on and on, hour after hour, tracking changes and always looking for a little glimmer of hope in the fortune telling.

Then in the morning, I open up Surfline and look at the cameras and I open Surfchex and look at those cameras. Each site has their own angles, giving a different view on how the waves are rolling in. That’s right, cameras are set up along beaches all over the world, and folks can see you while you’re laying on your towel in the sand. But we’re only paying attention to the waves. Some nights, while putting my younger daughter to bed, we’ll watch cams set up on the North Shore of Oahu, and get enjoyment of others enjoying the excellent break. It’s like going on vacation without leaving the house.

For the seasoned surfers, they read these maritime tea leaves like it’s second nature. Matter of fact, Coach Robbie, as he’s known, posts his own forecast. He’s looking at the above sources and then some. He’s looking at low pressure systems off the coast of Africa and disturbances in Earth’s magnetic force. I’ve also learned that the conditions we need in Manasquan are far different than what other spots need. Take Milwaukee for example. The kind staff at Lake Effect Surf Shop told me that they’re looking for heavy winds, upward of 15 knots, so that waves are generated. In Manasquan, 15 knots is too much wind. Me still being a rook, I’m not as good at it. But I’m trying.

You put in all this time, reading charts, maps, lines, graphs, dots, and in the end, nothing beats going up to the beach and looking firsthand. Can’t count how many times I’ve been standing on the beach looking at the surf and said out loud, “wow, it’s better than I thought.” You wake up and get in the water. But there are plenty of times the forecast works in the opposite direction. All factors are lighting up. You get in and it’s like someone’s turned off the wave machine.

So what did my friend mean about it not really mattering? Well, sometimes you get waves and sometimes you don’t. But you’re up with your friends, sitting on boards, chatting in the parking lot and enjoying life. That is what matters. Catching a few waves on top of that is a bonus.

Now about some brew. I mentioned we were just in Curaçao. If you can swing it, add it to your list of islands to visit. It’s got a unique tropical and Dutch blend of culture. It’s safe. The people are friendly. And you won’t find more prestige beaches. It’s even home to a little place called Kokomo.

All of this, and they even have three great breweries. I had the opportunity to try Montana, Brasa and Swinging Old Lady I drank Montana and Brasa at a few bars and while walking downtown. If you’re there or can find it elsewhere, try the Montana Blond and Red. Brasa is a refreshing light brew, and a perfect beverage while sitting on the beach. I had the privilege of visiting Swinging Old Lady.

Swinging Old Lady sits right on St. Anna Bay and close to the Queen Emma Bridge. The bridge itself is something to behold. It floats. Yes, floats. And it sits low to the water, so the bridge needs to open for boats to pass. In order to open, the bridge is floated so that it’s parallel to the bay’s walls. Boats scoot by and the bridge floats closed. Pedestrians are on the bridge the entire time. If the alarm sounds while you’re crossing, you stay on, take the ride, and finish crossing when the bridge is back to its regular span.

The brewery itself is a gem and oozes the blend of old-world Dutch and Caribbean flare. Even if you hate beer, you’ll enjoy the atmosphere. The quality of their beer matches their attention to decor. I tasted the Rye-pa and, of course, the Poco Poco porter. It’s become kind of an obsession. Every time I oder a porter during the heat of summer, I feel onlookers crazy eyes questioning why I’d drink it this time of year. By this point I hope everyone understands my point – porters are lighter than you think and they perfectly fit a summer night on the water.

So did I surf Curaçao? Unfortunately no. I did open all my apps and sites and look at maps and radar. I even connected with Alex, a local surfer who runs Surfing.Curaçao, who offered to take me to their local break. Curaçao gets strong trade winds, though, and they usually come out of the east. Their surf spots are on the norther part of the island and so the wind has to be out of the south. The shift never happened, so I never surfed.

There will be a next time. In Manasquan. In Mantoloking. In Bay Head. Or maybe at another beach I’ve not hit before.No matter where I go, I’ll be reading the tea leaves and trying their brews.