Waiting around for a South swell to fill in along our Jersey coast is always nerve-wracking–especially when you don’t know if it’ll get proper before the sun goes down.

It seems like this should be the best case scenario… Waves on a Sunday–you can wake up late, eat a good meal, and surf hours before sundown. However, in reality you wake up early after seeing the ocean isn’t flat, you drink way too much coffee, check way too many spots, and frustrate yourself and friends from sun up to sundown.

Fortunately, NJ surfers are used to chasing their tails while searching for waves. In the end, (especially last night) it usually works out and the surf pumps before dark.

At 2pm, the waves were disorganized, received side-shore wind, and clocked in at just about waist high. By 6pm, there were well-overhead sets coming through–pounding surfers like Zach Bogetti, Paul Kelly, Casey Startzell, and sweeping water photographers like Fiona Mullen, down the beach. Nothing about surfing in Jersey on these days is easy–but in the end when you get waves and photos like these, it all kinda makes sense to why we continue to pursue this crazy hobby. Until it all happens again, enjoy the photo gallery below with water shots by Mullen and shots from land by John Johnson.