East Coast Surfers Stay Loyal to Their Local Swells
Pat Schmidt looks like your prototypical Southern California surfer — he’s tall, lean and has shoulder-length blonde hair that is usually seen protruding from beneath a flat brim hat. But the Volcom pro rider isn’t from the Golden State.
He proudly hails from the Garden State: New Jersey.
“Most people look at me and think, ‘Oh, this kid’s definitely from California,’ but that’s not the case at all,” Schmidt said while on a recent surf trip in Bali, Indonesia. “I love where I’m from and I could never leave. I travel, but it’s always nice to go back there.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVo61ntASRG/?taken-by=patschmidt&hl=en
Schmidt, 22, is from Manasquan, N.J., located along the state’s eastern shoreline bordering the Atlantic Ocean. He relishes the opportunity to be a local legend — a bigger fish in a smaller pond as he puts it — showcasing his talents frequently in the waters of the Manasquan Inlet.
“I stick to my one-square-mile town surfing the jetties and sand bars,” he said. “It’s definitely not California or anything like that. The waves actually get really good, they’re just not that consistent, but when it gets good, it’s really good.”
Schmidt, who grew up surfing with his brothers and father, gets a laugh while on his travels around the world when he’s asked how he surfs in New Jersey. People have been known to question whether there’s even an ocean nearby — in fact, the state boasts 130 miles of coastline.
Surfing the East Coast differs from the West Coast in a variety of ways. Easterners brave the cold waters more frequently, surfing even when there is snow blanketing the sand. The quality of waves favors the west with more consistency, but when they hit the eastern seaboard, it’s worth the wait.
“I’d rather get really good waves once in a while with my buddies than surf the same waves every day with a million other guys out,” Schmidt said.
Because he surfs cold water more frequently, it’s no surprise some of Schmidt’s favorite spots around the world are a little colder than Bali, Hawaii and Australia. He favors surfing places like Canada and Scotland, preferring to don a wetsuit in the colder waters for quality waves and lesser crowds.
Don’t forget New Jersey. Schmidt loves it there. It’s also why he and his friends call themselves the Pork Roll Kids.
Balaram Stack
Balaram Stack spends the majority of the winter months at the Volcom House located in Oahu, Hawaii. For most of the days between October and March, the New York-based Stack is surfing the legendary break known as Banzai Pipeline.
Yet there are times — like around last Christmas — when he leaves the surfing paradise to return home to Point Lookout, N.Y., for three or four days to enjoy a can’t-miss local swell.
“It would be just like a strike mission back home,” Stack said. “It’s definitely hard for people to understand, but people I surf with get it. You probably won’t see a dude from California do a strike mission home from Hawaii because it’s not as much of a priority when a swell goes there since it happens more frequently.”
Like Schmidt, Stack got into surfing following in his brothers’ footsteps. Before he knew it, Stack was making waves in the local surf scene, first representing Unsound Surf, a local surf shop in Long Beach. He attended a Quiksilver camp in Montauk that resulted in his first sponsor when he was 13 or 14 years old. Local amateur competitions evolved into regional events in Florida or North Carolina before becoming national competitions on the West Coast.
“For me, it was never like ‘This is what I’m going to do,’ it was more like ‘I’m having fun surfing and it just rolled into something I’m doing today for a living,’” Stack, 25, said. “It’s weird for me to explain it. I’m so fortunate for it to have happened. Who can say doing what they loved turned into a career?”
Stack, who began surfing for Volcom in 2013, said East Coast riders are proud of where they grew up surfing. He especially feels that local loyalty when he’s out west with an endless supply of other surfers.
“It’s just a different vibe, a different feel,” he said. “West Coast surfers grew up differently — they had more waves, perfect weather all the time. We have crazy weather over here, seasons changing; there could be two feet of snow on the ground when the waves are firing. Growing up in it, that was normal.
“There are certain factors that make East Coast surfers appreciate where they’re from a lot more.”
Travel and accommodations in Bali provided by Volcom.
Volcanic Iceland Epic Trip
meet our Local Insider
Hanna
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE?
2 years.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
It's the personal contact, the personal experiences. I love meeting people from all over the world... I really like getting to know everyone and feeling like I'm traveling with a group of friends.
WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST?
I have so many places on my list, but I would really lobe to go to Africa. I consider myself an “adventure girl” and Africa feels like the ULTIMATE adventure!
Every CULTURE TRIP Small-group adventure is led by a Local Insider just like Hanna.
KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?
Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.