A silver lining shines brightly on the Jersey Shore, as economic hopes ride atop a surfer’s curl. If you were to visit the Jersey Shore at this stage in the recovery, you’d see three hopeful signs: A boardwalk slowly coming back to life, a community intent on rebuilding, and enough surfers to infuse a healthy measure of economic activity into the local economy.
Surfers in areas like Harvey Cedars have seen some of the biggest waves many surfers can remember in a lifetime. So why is the surf foaming on the Jersey Shore? When the hurricane hit, the storm’s force redistributed sand along the ocean floor, creating sandbars. These deposits of beach sand form depressions and peaks on the ocean floor that churn the water upwards, creating a surfer’s dream.
Rolling swells form far out at sea, but the waves don’t break until the energy of that moving water is focused into a wedge shape, says David Robinson. The state climatologist at Rutgers University, he told a reporter for The Star-Ledger the energy from the wave is focused as it interacts with the ocean floor. “That’s how you start to form these great breakers,” he said.
The sandbars also bring new possibilities for children and others who don’t surf. Thanks to those newly formed sandbars, the water closest to the beach is shallower, which affords more opportunities to play in the surf.
Local and pro surfers have been using these developments as an opportunity to get others involved. Waves for Water, a disaster relief organization, is helping storm victims recover from the Category 3 hurricane.
While there is a lot of pain that arises in the wake of a natural disaster, the people of New Jersey have found their silver lining riding in on a surfboard.