Day of the Year, North Sea, Denmark

So you think Fiji’s about to cop a super-sized swell, huh? Ain’t nuthin’ compared to the weather anomaly that hit the North Sea last week. Five feet and 12 seconds the buoys were reading in the lead up to this day of days. With the North Sea one of the shallowest bodies of ocean in the world, it relies on fierce localized storms for swell, meaning waves are seldom this groomed up here. That it hit in the middle of summer meant the water was a temperate 9 degrees (better than the 2 when I was there) and with 12 hours of daylight there was ample time to pinch a couple. Only five guys out too, according to our German correspondent. A four hour drive north west from Hamburg will get you to this spot just inside the Danish border.  To see just how far surfing’s come in the North Sea check the video below.

Photo: Tom Frey