Checked into the "oceanview" comfort inn "on the boardwalk" to find that another hotel blocked my direct view of the ocean, but I could see the ocean (not the beach) to the north and south of that other hotel. The boardwalk was about a 1000' walk from the hotel...not too bad. Wind was forecasted to be out of the NW to N all week, and since AC faces SE, I figured it would work out okay if a swell would just punch through. Models had swell size building all week, although direction was questionable. 

Sunday: flatsville. 

Monday: early high tide killed the swell, 2' semi-glassy, very weak. Eventually learned that none of the "name" spots in AC hold on an 
outgoing tide--even on a 4' + day. Drove up north to Brigantine Island and checked out some of the breaks with a little more east 
exposure. Holding on the high tide a little better. 2-3' and hollow, semi-glassy. Went back and got my board, but by that time it was 
crapping out on the outgoing tide. Drove over to my wetland regulatory conference and checked in like a good boy. Watched the 
incoming tide in the mid-afternoon trying to work, but just didn't seem to be any juice.

Tuesday: looked out front of the hotel (Central Pier) and saw some little stuff trying to line up. Pulled on the wetsuit and tried to 
challenge myself in 1-3' on the not-longboard. Wind was light offshore and occasionally a very nice, lined up 3-footer would roll 
through and just seem to break forever off a groin situated just 6 feet off the side of the pier. Eventually had enough and went back to 
the conference. Wind switched to E tuesday afternoon and blew it out. Blah. 

Wednesday AM: went to bed at 5:00 AM, to be awoken by Neal at 7:15 as he was checking out the surf: 2-3' semi-clean. Wind SE 15kts, really starting to junk it up. Some fun takeoffs though. Surf disappeared at high tide, and we re-convened that afternoon about a half-hour after 
low tide (after morning conference activities and a fat post-lunch nap). A huge groin was located just down the street, with a monster 
cove inside. The beach was totally blown out, impressive. Wind switched back WSW, fairly offshore. Waves 4' and glassy at first. 
Neal quickly got the place wired, and started connecting about 50% of his rides for 100 yards or so. After about 20 minutes of tweaking my 
turns and drop-ins, I was going about 25 yards shorter, but having a total blast, and eventually worked one clean-ish "mush monster" from 
a steep takeoff, thru 2 closeout sections, to the inside bar, to the shorebreak....about 150 yards or so. Great, right? Yeah, except for 
the paddle back out :( What was I thinking? 20 minutes and a blown shoulder later, I was back in the lineup. Surf eventually faded to 
about 2' and we paddled in as the sun set and the casino lights took over our field of view.

Thursday: Woke up to see 4' clean lines rolling in from way out to sea. Hopped in the wetsuits, boots and gloves (wind chill 25 degrees) 
and huffed it down to the Central Pier again. Many psycho takeoffs were had (relative to the funboards we were riding), and I went over 
the falls without my board, just in time for it to go O.T.F. as well, and for me to get speared in the chest with my fins.  Neal and I both 
had several killer rides with cutbacks, re-entries, and closeout dropins. Sessions like this make me wish I had never even seen a longboard. My "little" 7'8" was slicing through the sections pretty nice, unfortunately I still sometimes forget that I don't have to LEEEEEEAAAAAAAN to turn the board. When I lean, it shoots out from under me. Gotta power through the turns! The big groin down the beach looked enticing so we headed out there hoping for additional size.....not to be had. Outside bar was just mushing over and not organizing. We had to sit in on the second bar and wait for the 3 footers, which were still breaking with some power, sort of. 

Neal headed off to his worksites and I attended a few more conference sessions before I hit the road for a quick visit to the NJ wetlands 
institute, which has the best hatching program anywhere for diamondback terrapins. Cool stuff. Paid my $16 in tolls to the state of NJ and headed back to good ol' Bawlmer.

I ventured out of Crofton at 3:30 am in hopes of getting to Atlantic City for sun up.  Shouldn't be a problem considering sunrise was around 7am.  I headed up 95 and was making good time.  Thought I would actually make it by 6:15.  Well somewhere on Rt. 40 I zigged when I should have zagged and found myself heading towards Cape May.  Not a good scene.  I got myself turned around and finally headed into the city of shame about at about 7.  I found where Kirk was staying and did surf check.  Nice little peelers coming off of one of the piers.  I called Kirk's room and awoke a very tired sounding Weekday Warrior.  I advised Kirk that I would be suiting up and would meet him on the beach out in front of his hotel.  But first, "Duty" called.  I ran around the seedy city looking for a place to make a deposit. I was in such a rush to find a bathroom that I almost ran over a blind guy while traveling down the wrong way of a one-way street.  I finally found a Thriftway store that was just about the 
most disgusting place I have ever been in.  Relief was had and I suited up for surf.  I paddled out and surfed with some local guy on some nice waist to stomach rollers wrapping around the pier.  I saw two other guys down at the next jetty and wondered if one was Kirk.  Kirk eventually showed up, as it turned out, he was down at the other jetty.  We surfed a bit and he told me about his all night rage.  I couldn't help but think, "In the old days, we used to party all night and surf the next day!"  Around 9:30 we ended our session and decided to meet up around 4 and see what was working.

At 4 o'clock, Kirk and I ran into each other on the boardwalk while checking three very close spots.  We decided to suit up and head out.  We found a long jetty out in front of the Bally's Casino that had an extremely eroded cove that was allowing a point like left to roll all the way in.  We headed out and it seemed small at first.  The waves eventually rolled through and broke at waist to stomach level.  An occasional freak would peak at chest high.  They were 95% lefts.  It became a really fun session that Kirk and I did not want to end.  The rides started getting longer and I was starting to get a few rides in the 100-yard range.  Then Kirk picked off a nice wave that took him all the way to the beach.  He surfed the wave so far that I thought he had called it a day.  His ride had to have been 150 yards.   He eventually got back out in the line up.  Atlantic City is such a seedy place Kirk was pointing out all the environmental payoffs that must have occurred in order to build 2/3rds of the city.  I said to Kirk, "Turn around.  How often can you surf and watch the World Series on a beach side Sony Jumbotron?"  Yeah the place is disgusting.  Kirk and I finally called it a night when the tide filled in and the casino lights were the only form of illumination on the wave face.  We headed to TGI Fridays for beers, margaritas, and some pasta dishes.  My meal was so infused with garlic that Kirk and I were vampire proof.  We returned to the hotel 
and watched the Sniper case start to unfold.

The next morning we were greeted to extremely cold offshore winds and waist to stomach high peelers wrapping around the jetty.  We suited 
up in our damp and clammy wetsuits while we watched the sniper case come to an end.  It was cold…. booties and gloves cold.  We had some 
fun waves with steep takeoffs and very soft shoulders.  No one else was out.  We were hoping that Bally's cove would start working as the tide filled in.  Kirk thought he saw it breaking so we headed over.  Unfortunately, the tide was too full and we were force to ride the inner bar as the rollers reformed.  By 9:30 we called it a day and went our separate ways.  We agreed that our AC meeting was a success and acknowledged that we would meet up on the Delmarva soon.  Good to get back to a sniper free DC.