Hurricane Surfers Chase Irene as Others Evacuate East Coast

Aug. 26, 2011 — -- As Hurricane Irene powers toward the United States' East Coast full force, people from North Carolina to New York are fleeing their homes as hospitals, nursing homes and entire towns are evacuated. But as most rush to escape Irene's destructive path, another group enthusiastically pursues the dangerous storm—hurricane surfers.

No doubt these thrill seekers have taken a page from Jimmy Buffett's "Surfing in a Hurricane." He sings, "I ain't afraid of dying/I don't need to explain/I feel like goin' surfing in a hurricane.... The impact zone is calling out my name."

"The risk, the excitement factor … getting really good waves is addicting," said hurricane surfer Shea Lopez. "It's something that's uncommon. I couldn't be any more excited for any day of the year."

This weekend, Lopez, 37, will be looking for areas where he can catch waves between 10 and 20 feet. He said waves could near 30 feet in some locations. He has been in Virginia but is monitoring the storm up and down the East Coast, figuring out where to go next to capitalize on the rare swells.

"It's our only chance as East Coast surfers to get large, powerful waves like in other places in the world," Lopez said. "It's exciting being around the hurricane. You can't help but get caught up in the drama."

This week, the 49th annual East Coast Surfing Championships are underway in Virginia Beach, Va. As one of the biggest surfing competitions in the world, this weeklong event draw nearly 1,000 surfers every year who travel from as far as South Africa and New Zealand to compete.

Today, the competition barrels on at double speed to try to finish before conditions become too dangerous to continue.

"The primary concern is for the safety of the competitors and spectators," said Kevin Gaydosh, spokesman for the competition. "There's nobody that has a healthier respect for the water than surfers."

The championship plans to continue through Friday, suspend competitions on Saturday and resume on Sunday.

Paul West, president of the United States Surfing Federation and surfing director for the competition, is running a hurricane chasing photography contest in which a photographer and a surfer team up and try to get the best picture of hurricane surfing. West, however, wants it to be clear that this is a risky undertaking.