*The day after Hurricanes Idalia and Franklin hit the North Carolina Coast in Emerald Isle.*

A few weeks ago here on the coast of North Carolina we had something unusual happen, we experienced two hurricanes - one coming from the Gulf of Mexico, the other from the Atlantic. Luckily, Franklin turned into a tropical storm and we received a night of wind and rain. The hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, Idalia hit the same time in August and now Hurricane Lee is out in the Atlantic in early September as I write this.

As someone who spent the majority of my life on the West Coast in California, hurricanes were something I only saw from afar, on TV News or read about. Since moving to North Carolina three years ago, I’m starting to pay more attention and as a surfer, I’ve come to learn that the waves tend to get better, but I’m very aware that this also means that individuals, towns and communities can be greatly impacted by the power of nature.

When we first moved to the coast, one early morning I met a group of young surfers who grew up on Emerald Isle and said that the best waves came with hurricanes and they would also get out of high school, so they could go surf.

Should surfers feel guilty about going out when a hurricane has blessed us with decent waves? I’m not sure. I’ll keep a watch next week as Hurricane Lee gets closer.

Stay safe and keep paddling!