For the 12th consecutive year, the URN crew both old and new took time away from NJ to enjoy the sand, surf, seafood, and the other enjoyments found on OBX. And right away, the crew was reminded how small this little island is, and how exposed the strip of sand is to wind and swell.
A couple nights before arrival on the Banks, a party convened on another long strip of sand in Maryland to do sports, grill, drink, and sleep in tents. With mild weather, campfires roared along with the crowd. But danger loomed on the horizon.
The large crew dwindled to just three: Jameson, Pat, and Ryan drove South into a Nor’Easter that would shut down the island of Hatteras, block roadways, and sadly tear down (I believe six) houses in less than three days. The fellas stranded themselves in the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” By the second day of 35+ knot gusts and 15+ foot buoys, they wondered why.
However, it all became clear as the swell started to fade, and the search began. After two days of fun surf, Hurricane Melissa passed along the East Coast. New, long-period hurricane Southeast swell backed up the fading NE swell to create combo conditions at one of the boys’ favorite surf breaks on Earth. Even more luckily, the crew grew grew by two more: Jackson and Brian charged down from East End NY to get a piece. And boy, did they! Halloween on OBX will not be forgotten anytime soon.
The boys surfed till there wasn’t any swell left, and they went North. However, the crew that stayed, and the new arrivals didn’t have to wait long for another crack at decent swell. The Knolls, Hollins, Mitch, XL, Claude, and Jared were joined by Seany, Dom, and each person’s significant other, dogs, etc. The party tipped the OBX scales, and their end of the island began sinking due to its might.
OBX is a magical place because the conditions change so much, so fast. Fun and unexpected days of surf can be around the corner at any given time.
Luckily, the swell wasn’t too consistent. So, the crew, re-united from Wildwood, could enjoy drinking in the hot tubs, drinking on the beach, lighting fireworks (while drinking), and grilling meats with a beer in hand.
The weather was awesome, and yet again, everything came together for a great time. These words won’t ever be enough to describe how special the trip is, and how necessary it is for this crew to reconvene.
But again, more of them left, until just one solo traveler joined up. Talia and Ryan saw the Fall 2025 OBX trip through till the end. It was clear that Fall was coming to an end. The sun faded more quickly, and the stars stayed out for longer every day. The thought of going North was even less palatable: If the weather in NC was beginning to change, thoughts of being cold and back in NJ crept in.
This year, Fall came and went more quickly than it has in past years. For example, just a year prior there were multiple sessions in boardshorts right up until the end of the October-November OBX trip. Yet this time, the water didn’t stay as warm, and the wind howled almost daily.
This was a sign of the early start to Winter 2025 that we had. And sure enough, NJ received a solid snow before Christmas. With the first Winter swell in the books, it seems the surf outlook could remain positive in the weeks to come… Fingers crossed, and Merry Christmas.
