Photos that celebrate New York’s forgotten surf scene

Ice cream headaches — A new book from writer Ed Thompson and photographer Julien Roubinet explores the overlooked coastlines of New York and New Jersey – the unlikely home of a rich and diverse surf community.

The rough, icy shores of America’s north-eastern coast are rarely associated with surfing – but a new book from writer Ed Thompson and photographer Julien Roubinet is on a mission to change that.

Ice Cream Headaches, published by Damiani, explores the vibrant cold water surf community around New York and New Jersey. The book contains interviews and photographs of surfers, surfboard shapers, artists and documentarians who have helped shape the scene; from Pulitzer-prize-winning author William Finnegan to professional surf icons like Quincy Davis, Mikey De Temple and Balaram Stack.

Both Thompson and Roubinet spent four years collaborating on the project, travelling more than 4,000 miles from Eastern Long Island to Cape May. “We learned that such a long project requires constant motivation to keep moving,” Thompson tells Huck. “We both experienced ups and downs, interestingly enough at opposite times. There was, and is always one to cheer the other up if needed.”

Chris Gentile © Julien Roubinet

Wave © Julien Roubinet

The pair met while surfing at New York’s Rockaway Beach: Roubinet had moved to New York from the Southwest of France, while Thompson had come from High Wycombe in the UK. “We got talking and both of us wanted to expand our horizons,” Thompson explains. “We wanted to make surfing a bigger part of our experience living in New York. At the same time, we wanted to create something of value to the community and the culture as a whole – a snapshot of people in time.”

Packed into 192-pages, their findings expose a colourful community of die-hard surf lovers, who are unafraid to experiment with new forms, materials, ideas and styles in the treacherous Atlantic waves.

“It seems like New York and New Jersey have been on the map more and more for the last few years,” adds Roubinet. “For the non-surfer, it definitely hasn’t registered yet. People don’t realise (or maybe would rather ignore) that if you are willing to put on a 5mm wetsuit, boots, gloves and hoods, you can get it as good as anywhere else.”