Sometimes “fun, but rippable” is all you need. Photo: Ben Gravy // YouTube
Hurricane season has begun in New Jersey, and you best believe Ben Gravy was there to greet it. The novelty wave YouTuber (and soon-to-be father) recently posted a video of his experience with the arrival of Chantal in the Garden State.
Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall early Sunday near Litchfield Beach, South Carolina, and then began to move inland. The worst effects of the storm were seen in South Carolina, where it dumped up to 10 inches of rain in some parts of the state and caused severe flooding. By Monday, Chantal had been downgraded to a tropical depression, but still threatened neighboring states with possible flooding rains and rip currents.
Meanwhile, Ben Gravy was tracking the whole thing from his home in New Jersey. “Tropical storm Chantal is currently off of North Carolina, Virginia Beach, but we’re already feeling the effects of this storm,” he explained in his latest video. He elaborated that the moniker Chantal indicates it’s the third storm of the season (the names progress in alphabetical order), but this is the very first one with any promise for surfers.
“Hurricane season isn’t our strong point,” he conceded. “We actually like winter storms. But, of course, everyone gets super stoked over the hurricane, so we’re obviously going to go surf it. We’re going to track it down. We’re going to find the best spot. We’re going to try to find the best waves. We’ll see what it produces.”
The output was best described by Gravy as “fun but rippable,” which in an unusually disappointing New Jersey season translates to all-time. Luckily, if there’s anyone up to the task of squeezing every last drop of stoke from mediocre waves, it’s Ben.
