Local Pro Kurt Rist Reveals Best Surf Breaks in the Hamptons

 

Since catching his first wave at age 7, professional surfer Kurt Rist has been hooked. The 28-year-old Southampton native has slowly raised the stakes over the years, from spending his pre-teen years compulsively surfing Flying Point Beach to chasing big waves in Hawaii, and most recently, Ireland.

While destinations like Puerto Rico or Tahiti may be more common, Rist followed friend and fellow co-worker Dylan Stott to the Emerald Isle in October 2010 after seeing pictures of the huge waves on the northwest coast.

Rist admits the conditions were harsh, with a great deal of rain, wind and darkness. But the waves made up for it.

“[This past winter] we were surfing 20-to-30 foot waves every two weeks,” says Rist. “The next piece of land in the way of those huge storms [that were hitting the Northeast] is Ireland. All those snowstorms equaled huge waves in Ireland.

“It is the most big-wave time I have ever spent,” Rist adds.

Admitting that he broke a few boards in the big ...more