Freedom To Surf - Dirty South Surfers

From S.C. down to TX. and Costa Ric

South Carolina may not be known as a hotbed for surfing, but catching a set of waves is a real possibility at any of our beaches along the East Coast. Especially when a storm like Hurricane Arthur blows past! Heyward Hardy feels a special pull to the sport of surfing, even traveling to Costa Rica on multiple occasions to surf big waves and to enjoy the lifestyle that appeals to other surfers from around the world. Now Hardy has taken that experience and opened up a small business that sells surfing merchandise and strives to share the sport with local youth.

Heyward Hardy lives in Charleston now, but his mother is from Walterboro, and he still seeks the waves for relaxation as much as the Atlantic will allow. Hardy’s journey began with 3 years of high school in Montana, and then he moved to Houston, Texas and worked for a landscape architect. Ends up his employer shared an appreciation for surfing and gave Hardy the consideration of extended time off from work for travel to Costa Rica.

The Washout remains the most popular location to surf Folly

“The surfing in Costa Rica was pretty epic, with waves breaking two ways on the beach,” said Hardy. “The beaches were mostly black and the waves there reach shoulder height with regularity. The waves that broke after crossing the reef would crumble over a longer period and they were good for riding a longboard. While the beach break waves would form into a barrel where a lot of maneuvers were possible on a short board.”

            

“In South Carolina, there is not a lot of power behind the waves, so longboards are really the best bet,” said Hardy. “I ride a 9-foot performance longboard by Stewart now and Folly Beach is really the go to choice for most Lowcountry surfers. Lately the surf has been dead flat due to the hot weather, so we will watch and wait for the surf report to become favorable.”

To view this feature article in the newspaper click Colletonian.

To view past blog entries about 4th of July click on Freedom To Fish.