Atlantic City has a reputation for being a little bit crazy. From its history of diving horses, to this brand new night surf event, AC always seems to live up to the hype...
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Atlantic City has always had a way of drawing people in. Nearly a century ago, entertainer D.F. Carver coaxed horses to dive from a sixty-foot platform into a pool of water. Even beyond today’s neon lights of the sex and gaming industries, AC has a knack for giving the world things it has never seen, from beauty pageants to title fights. In the past, people flocked to the resort’s Steel Pier for Duke Kahanamoku’s first East Coast surfing demonstrations or the aforementioned airborne equines.
On Friday night, August 17th, Red Bull combined the latter exhibitions to create something of its own that the world had never seen, Night Riders, a tow-at surfing event – under cover of night!
Red Bull illuminated the line up in front of the Trump Plaza Beach Bar, but didn’t need to coax eighteen of the mid-Atlantic’s best power-surfers and aerialists to get whipped at oncoming waves. And what a perfect venue – consistent Jersey beachbreak, just south of the Pier at Caesar’s, where several hundred people gawked at the spectacle from the Pier’s mall, in addition to the hundreds of bystanders on the beach.
“I really thought it was a great concept. Because of the lights, all eyes were on us,” said Lavallette’s Sam Hammer, who towed other competitors when he wasn’t surfing himself, “When I was driving by the pier, I was a few feet from all these spectators, just glued to the railing.”
The surfers were paired into teams of two. With a PWC pulling each surfer, they had eleven minutes to whip at as many waves as they could.
Lucas Rogers of Virginia Beach and Ian Block, of Margate, opened up in the twilight, as more fans lined the Atlantic City beachfront. The relentless southerly wind didn’t die as expected, making for extremely difficult conditions on both drivers and surfers. Rogers was able to boost enough to get the crowd into a proper Friday Night frenzy.
Ocean City shredders Andrew Gesler and Jamie Moran took the water next. Moran came out launching from the start, attempting a pair of kerupt flips that left him floating upside down, some ten feet above the water. Gesler was unusually quiet through the early pat of the session, but with a minute to go, he boosted himself into a squeaky-clean frontside air-reverse to earn a 9 that would remain untouchable through the entire event.
“This was one of the most unique events I’ve ever been a part of. If you don’t understand surfing at all, you could still come down and appreciate this contest,” raved Gesler.
Hammer was teamed with AC local, Frank Walsh, who’s power gouges are known from the Garden State Parkway to the Kam Highway. Walsh towed into just the right section, and buried the rail for a 6.5. You certainly don’t have to know much about surfing to appreciate a fan like that. Hammer toyed with some airs, but a gouge of his own earned him a rare 5.5 in the rough conditions.
Matt Keenan, of Ocean City and Surf City’s Randy Townsend, both well-experienced tow artist, put their own spin on the event – Keenan in particular. He missiled into the stratosphere, keeping his board on his feet well into his spin, far above the lip.
The boys kept local surfers and passers by glued. Ben McBrien laid into hard gashes, even riding away into another hit. Zach Humphreys hucked through the air, board flittering off into the night, bringing a roar from the audience. When they weren’t surfing, they were driving or helping with the ski in the tumultuous surf. Even the Coast Guard Cutter that showed up opted not to sit outside in the chop.
Walsh collected $500 for his gashing “Best Turn.” Though he didn’t land it, Keenan kept his feet on his wax long enough to warrant “Most Amplitude,” and his own $500. Team Walsh/Hammer walked with $1,000 for their efforts. Aces Gesler and Moran pocketed a healthy $3,000 in AC winnings.
Had “Dimah the Wonder Horse” been watching from her lofty perch, she would have been impressed.
