Hurricane Sandy may have kept most beachgoers out of St. Johns County?s waters.
But a few kiteboarders braved the waves.
?These were the best waves I?ve ever been in, in Florida,? said Chris Zub, of St. Augustine, who kitesurfed north of the St. Augustine Beach pier.
Five people competed in a kitesurfing competition north of the pier on Saturday, maneuvering the unusually large waves and strong winds that lingered along the coast. Kitesurfing involves surfing while attached to a harness that is attached to a large kite.
The contest was part of an all-weekend event hosted by Ocean Extreme Sports that featured kiteboarding and paddleboarding events, though some were canceled because of the weather.
Officials advised people to stay out of the water because of the rough surf and risk of rip currents.
Sustained winds were between 18 to 25 mph in the St. Augustine area on Saturday, said Marie Trabert, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Gusts were more than 30 mph, and there was still a high risk of rip currents.
Hurricane Sandy combined with a high pressure system to the north to create conditions like a very strong nor?easter.
The hurricane was on its way past Florida on Saturday evening and was moving northeast at 13 mph with sustained winds of 75 mph. By mid-afternoon, all tropical storm watches and warnings had been discontinued in Florida.
However, the risk of rip currents is expected to remain high through this evening, Trabert said.
?People need to just stay tuned,? she said.
People are still advised to stay out of the water until conditions improve, said St. Johns County Fire Rescue spokesman Jeremy Robshaw.
St. Johns County Beach Manager Billy Zeits said coastal flooding was an issue, and all of the ramps flooded at some point on Friday.
?It?s hard to say if we can expect any changes tomorrow,? Zeits said. ?We have flooding at all of our beach ramps.?
Zeits said vehicle access to beaches could be restricted today.
Zub, one of the kitesurfing event organizers, said the dangerous conditions trimmed down the expected field of 20 competitors to just five. Despite the dangerous conditions, the waves were cleaner and bigger.
?The waves were as good as they get in St. Augustine,? he said.
?I had a couple of waves that were double overhead, and it gets your heart racing for sure. I was exhausted by the end of the day.?
Ed Toy kitesurfed Saturday and said the waves were between 10 and 15 feet. One surfer?s kite was destroyed by the waves, but he was not injured.
?We were kind of going back and forth today about whether to do the event,? he said. ?These are some extreme conditions.?
Source: http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2012-10-27-0
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