Contrary to the amount of publicity the waves get, the Outer Banks of North Carolina ain’t the easiest place to be a surfer, particularly a good surfer trying to make it as a blue-collar pro. Yeah, there’s that 270-degree swell window thing. And sure, it’s usually barreling. And okay, there’s a lot of breathing room. And yes, Brett Barley lives here and all that. But social media and vlogs don’t always tell the real story: how the sandbars can become troughed-out or jacked-up, rendering otherwise perfect conditions obsolete. How the lineups get crazy crowded during significant swell events, and out-of-towners always seem to score the best photos and clips. How abominably cold it can be. Kitty Hawk native Quentin Turko has this joint dialed better than most, and he still has to self-preserve with periodic trips to Central America. Because life, y’know?
