SOMEWHERE ON LONG BEACH ISLAND -- Ocean City pro surfer Rob Kelly has surfed all over the world, but a wave he rode in New Jersey during the nor'easter on Tuesday is getting a lot of attention online.
Kelly and other surfers caught several swells at a spot on Long Beach Island and his a videographer friend Alex DePhillipo filmed the session. Just don't ask where, exactly. That's a closely-kept secret.
Footage of the epic Kelly ride is spreading on the web thanks to Surfline.com, which called it "Barrel of the year in New Jersey."
Some of the comments on the video are about how spectacular it was, and some posters unfamiliar with the Jersey Shore surf scene were amazed it was in New Jersey. Some mistakenly speculated the break was at a well known spot in Cape May.
DePhillipo, in true surfer code, would not divulge the break's location, only saying it was on LBI.
Giant waves happen during every major storm or nor'easter, and the few native surfers that can handle them often make sure they're in the Garden State when the ocean starts to churn.
The 24-year-old Kelly, a team rider for Billabong, said of the wave on his Twitter page, "What a day.. New Jersey good as it gets thanks to #WinterStormStella."
You can see a longer edit of the surfing that day that DePhillipo for Surfline here.
Kevin Shea may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.