Hurricane Earl visits the Jersey Shore

I went down to the beach this afternoon just as the tide was coming in. Hurricane Earl was a Category 1 hurricane and was off the coast of New Jersey. I took these pictures in Belmar, New Jersey, near the Shark River Inlet.

The surf was rough and the wind was blowing the wet, salty air around. The waves were crashing and whitecaps were forming. People had come down to the shore from all over just to see the storm's effect on the beach.

These pictures just don't do it justice. The whole atmosphere was awesome. The people, the birds, the waves and water, it was just awesome!

No swimming flags were posted to prevent people from going in the water. That didn't stop everybody, or the birds.

It isn't often that the waves are this high at the beach in Belmar. I'm glad the storm was so far offshore!