Galveston Surf Break at the 61st Street Pier
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- Опубліковано 16 лип 2024
- Surfing barrels are a rare sight in Galveston, but they do happen. The 61st Street pier surf break is the place; I've even photographed a few. Let me breakdown Galveston surfing and specifically, the 61st Street Pier surf spot.
1968 or so I surfed at 61st pier, there was a window facing the sea wall, owner placed a pinball machine there. I was play the game, when a catamaran crashed into the pier, the mast bashed the window glass out. Owner thought I was wrecking the place, until the mast poked into the store.
Thanks for the shout out! Well done!
I started fishing the original 61st Street Pier in 1971. The short boarders loved to surf the east side of the pier but would get too close. So, they kept a bullhorn inside the tackle shop. Whoever was working would grab the bullhorn and constantly yell at the surfers to get away. They would just give him the finger.
Thanks for the nice review. BOI and surfed both sides of the 61st pier many, many times. A river surfing friend from Germany was stoked. Definitely a favorite with great memories.
Thanks for the scoop - and love me some Southern Spears Surf Shop!
I have no intention of ever surfing here but this was super fun and interesting
Good honest review! 🤙🤙
Great job with objectivity in this video! 👏🏼👏🏼. When I clicked on it I thought for sure I’d hear too much of what I hear from lifelong TX surfers too often, which is an unrealistic praising of mediocre waves and conditions at best! As a transplant to this region from southern CA a decade ago (born and raised in HB, went to HBHS class of 88 and was on surf team all four years).
On the other hand, I hear unfair criticism of our Gulf coast too by Californians and others who have either never been here or who haven’t seen the best this place has to offer. I typically go to Surfside because the drive from my house to either Galveston or SS is equal, and of course I’ll try to catch Gorda on a good day, but overall it’s a fairly bleak picture for waves here, and your tone throughout the video reflects that reality perfectly.
When it’s decent, those north offshores are just ridiculous. I mean, just when you see some waves that look fun, you’re dealing with freezing cold 30 mph winds that’ll take you on an unplanned trip to Cuba or Cancun if you get too far outside (because at that point your stuck hoping your paddle power will get you back to shore since you know there will never be a fast, cleanup set wave to let you ride in). I mean, back home when you heard it was offshore you got so stoked and it did nothing but enhance conditions, but here-with gale force offshores it actually just makes you nervous about never making it back to the beach.
And the hot water of mid to late summer, combined with endless flat spells and bacteria filled water (gotta love those“fecal counts”) make that season almost totally unbearable (thankfully, every summer I go back to CA for a month or 5 weeks from July to August). But the hottest water temps I’ve ever surfed in have been here and it’s just crazy that you can actually go for a surf and get zero refreshment from the heat of the air.
Then, in fall and spring when it becomes rideable, the SLOWNESS is is just so depressing!! I grew up needing to do the “Huntington hop” to make connections between the outside and inside sections at the pier, but surfing just about anywhere here at any break, inside or out, requires nonstop hopping just to generate speed. It takes any sense of stoke out of going way outside hoping for big sets because, while sometimes you get the optical illusion of serious lines coming in, you’re fooled every time because that’s all they usually are: lines! Or lines that get a mushy feather along the “lip” (if you can even say that any wave that isn’t totally inside even has a “lip” at all).
I do appreciate getting to actually trunk it for many months of the year or simply wear a top or a 2mm spring suit. That part is great because I’ll never get used to being cold. But then again, some of the coldest days I’ve ever surfed have been here too (with water temp and wind chill considered).
All in all, one thing I’ll say is that while it’s not my ideal preference, I’ve found that when I ride a longboard here the less frustrated and depressed I am about the conditions. When I was in CA, my long-boarding was about 10% or maybe 20% of the year, while here that that percentage has entirely flipped! And on top of it, my “short” board isn’t really even short board but more of a 7’4” fun board. It’s also a bit more depressing if you’re a surfer who is typically always someone who sits outside; I’ve never opted for the inside at any CA spot like many of my friends did, since the first wave I see break outside usually draws me like a moth to a flame. I wish I was more of an inside break surfer because I’d probably appreciate those sections here more than I do.
This is so helpful for adding perspective. Thank you!
Thx for the tips, see u out there
One summer day, only two spots were breaking- West Flagship and East 61. 61 was better with a beautiful little right, but we got run off and went to Flag. I always wonder about that wave.
91st fishing pier is often a better spot. Also has free parking.
The big concrete piers are the only decent breaks left since the beach replenishment
Does that string line thing a ma jig ever get in the way ? It looks close to the water at points.
Hey are you Galveston native boi? Snowboarding from the north just moved down hook me up