Anyone launch from OC before?

[mytmouse]

The plan is to launch from the surf to get to a couple wrecks/reefs that are within a doable paddle. My concern is how to figure out when the best time to launch is. On the bay I really on check on the wind forecast and maybe the weather. Other than that I'm not worried. Do the tides dicate the size of the breakers close to shore? Should I launch at low tide, slack tide, well you get my drift. Just wanted to get some intel before I go try it.

Thanks!
MYT

[chimo]

From my limited experience the tide phase didn't matter much, just the size of the breakers coming in. Be prepared to get wet and have everything tied down. Launched from the surf on AI a few times this summer and hope to do a lot more this next summer!

[mytmouse]

Thanks Chimo! How were the breakers @ AI?

[chimo]

All depended on the wind and maybe currents. If the wind is coming from the East the surf / breakers are going to be building. Not sure the limit for when they get un-launchable.. My first couple times launching the wind was from the SW and there wasn't an issue. Next time it was coming from the SE and around 15-20 mph and there was no way I was risking it with rods on the boat. Didn't stop me from launching in a bare yak and surfing the waves with it though

[MetroMan]

Take the ride thru the inlet on an outgoing tide perhaps?

[kayakjoe]

I just did this morning it wasn't bad even dumped it in the wash to test out my dry top and pants combo. All of the above is correct for sure but with that said it depends on where you are launching as well. I went out this mornimg at 27th street and all the first bars have been built up since sandy came through and more sand will be moved tomorrow crews aren't working today. So it could be different there as well. But with all that said in oc from November to February the waves in town are small glassy like sinks that in most cases you don't have to worry about and the set waves are never bigger than four feet in most cases and you cam just time them mostly sets of four or five waves the farthur north you go the waves will be more kind of shorebreak except low tides whereas the mid town to down town area is a bit further out ( twenty foot walk in three fow till the bar then you can pretty much walk past the breaking waves and get in and paddle from there ) because the beach widens and flattens out. What's your goal here? Drop some crustaceans at some structure? This may go without saying but buddy system helps too even if its glass out there. If you end up going id be very interested if you don't mind another person tagging along. Oh and if you don't jave the coordinates for the wrecks ( I think turrets four within reasonable paddling distance ) a Google search in the images area will pull them up otherwise you can pay 25$ to the ocean city artificial reef foundation and they will send you a nice pretty chart and some of the tackle shops have reef maps too. I hope this helps don't be afraid to give a holler if you have any questions

[striperstalker]

I like to check majicseaweed.com a surfing site to get wave heights and predictions. Handy site. I choose where to launch very carefully. I walk up and down the beach and survey a few sets looking for a trough where the current is going out and knocking down the breakers. A recent sea launch just north of island beach st park NJ had 5 footers near a break and less than 2 footers 100 yards up the beach. We launched and returned at the same spot where the trough was with out any problems. According to majicseaweed the next 2 days look like great conditions for a sea launch in OC!!! Good luck!

[mytmouse]

Thanks Joe and Striperstalker. Yeah we are hoping to get on the tog bite a tad closer to home than Kipto! I'll definitely be going with others out there, but when we make the trip I will shoot you a pm! I found some of the GPS coordinates on Tidalfish and also verified them on a GPS app I have on my phone. I thought about donating to get the map and exact coordinates, but I figure they are doing too much stuff inshore that would be beneficial.

Striper are you using a GPS FF or handheld to get back to that exact area of the beach? Or can you easily see the difference in the breakers when coming in.

MYT

[chimo]

A recent sea launch just north of island beach st park NJ had 5 footers near a break and less than 2 footers 100 yards up the beach.

Going to have to squirrel that tidbit away for a later date. I've seen exactly what you are talking about but didn't even consider it when surf launching. Next time

[mytmouse]

You probably wanted to go through the big breakers! LOL

[kayakjoe]

There's also good trolling off of fenwick and the tip of oc/north ai at little gull shoal and great gull shoal and a good number of other lumps and other structure as well water temp is kinda fluctuating between 52 - 55 but its dropped after the storm by more than 5 degrees so it could be interesting I went surf fishing today from six to ten in oc and got the skunk and it looked really fishy saw a seagull grab what looked like a bunker out of the back of a wave that was too big for it to fly off with kinda funny Haha water looks clean on the ocean side but still a little milky on the inside but rt. Bridge could be productive at night for you as well

[striperstalker]

Striper are you using a GPS FF or handheld to get back to that exact area of the beach? Or can you easily see the difference in the breakers when coming in

No gps on my boat yet but that may change soon. On that launch the life guards had the trough marked with flags. It was the flatest area for 500 yards. Could mark your spot with a chair or something. We still floated out there for a number of sets watching how the waves were breaking and where. You can see the difference but ya gotta be just outside the surf zone to see it. I played in the surf zone a half hour before landing. Pedaling in full sprint my Revo FLEW down the face of the waves and I would turn out just before it curled what a blast!

MYT[/QUOTE]