October 13, 2015
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
Lance Loethen has made dozens of round-trip surfing trips to the Jersey Shore over the past two years - many of them on weekdays before he arrives at his Philly office for work, typically around mid-morning.
Manayunk resident Lance Loethen peels himself out of bed at 4 a.m., loads the car in the dark and drives an hour directly southeast across New Jersey -- all in an effort to catch a few waves before getting to work.
"I’m totally not a morning person," Loethen said, without irony. "But surfing makes you feel so alive. I actually dream about it!”
Loethen, a 41-year-old researcher for a nonprofit, has lived in Philadelphia for 12 years. And though he’s fairly new to surfing, his dedication proves evident in his die-hard surfing routine. Loethen has made dozens of round-trip surfing trips to the Jersey Shore over the past two years, many of them on weekdays before he arrives at his Philly office, typically around mid-morning.
Here, his journey to the Shore and back -- in photos.
"I'm going to bring all three boards," he said, referring to three lengths of boards, "so I have options depending on the conditions." He says this as he carefully slides the middle-sized of his three surfboards with utmost precision into the open hatch of his early 2000s Subaru Outback in the pre-dawn hours in front of his apartment, perched on a hillside in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia. 
After a quick hour-long drive directly across the state of New Jersey, Loethen reaches the Stainton Memorial Causeway, also known as the Ninth Street Bridge, and for the first time, you realize you’re zeroing in on the morning’s destination.
As we pulled up as close to the boardwalk as possible, as the sun is just beginning to turn night into day, Loethen flings his door open, steps out (engine still running) and charges up the stairs to the boardwalk, ushering first sight to the much sought-after jewels that peacefully roll toward the shore.
“Today is the best day since [Hurricane Joaquin], based on wind and swell direction," he said. "We have a southeast-facing break with an offshore wind out of north-northwest.”
After taking in the first sight of the day’s surf, Loethen finds a proper parking spot, quickly disrobes and with a slight struggle to pull on his wetsuit, laughs. “This is the NSFW part!"
With the sand only a mere 25 yards from the car, Loethen stuffs his car keys into the padded ankle strap of his surfboard leash, grabs his board and makes the final push to the water, bringing nothing else besides a small wedge of wax.
“That salty water on fiberglass is like ice. Wax keeps your feet gripped to the board,” Loethen said as he completed the final task of the morning before finally, with much anticipation, entering the early October water.
“Morning came earlier than I expected today. We should’ve gotten here for dawn,” said Loethen (as if he hadn’t gotten there early enough).
The moment has arrived: Loethen enters the water and for the next few hours will only emerge once from the early morning surf.
A surfer paddles out from the shore at Seventh Street in Ocean City, N.J.
“Surfing is like 95 percent paddling and 5 percent riding waves," he said. "It’s all about positioning yourself in the exact right place, getting enough speed and getting up at precisely the right time to catch the wave ... That 5 percent is totally worth it."
"If you can't paddle strong enough or fast enough, you're never going to catch a wave,” he said. Loethen added that he dodges crew boats and sarcastic comments while training in Philly's Schuylkill River.
“So many factors need to add up exactly at the right moment to catch a wave," he said.
"I grew up waterskiing - but that’s burning gas, this is just energy from the earth, just pushing you forward," he explained. "You capture and harness that power under your feet in a way that makes you feel great!"
A few hours later, Loethen emerges, eyes bloodshot but with a huge smile. “Sometimes guys can’t handle all of the water; it goes everywhere. But I love it -- I even love falling. It feels like I’m a kid again!"
As Loethen passed an elderly gentleman on the boardwalk, the man exclaimed “Bet you couldn’t have expected this a few days ago!” Loethen quickly looked up and shot back, “But that's why the waves are so good -- it’s because of the hurricane!” He exclaims this with a tone of fulfillment while making his way back to the car and heading toward work -- just in time to miss morning rush-hour.
