Winter waterland
If you think Port Aransas is fun in the summer, wait until winter
BY DAN PARKER SOUTH JETTY REPORTER

Champion at work Clad in a wetsuit, 22-year-old Corey Williams of Portland (above) gracefully walks the deck of his board while surfing Wednesday, Dec. 13, at Horace Caldwell Pier. Williams, a refinery inspector who won a Texas state surfing championship about five years ago, has been riding waves in Port Aransas since he was a young child – sometimes in cold conditions. Surfers tend to wear wetsuits in local waters from November to April. Right, Port Aransan Johnny Gaines, center, poses with his 11-year-old son, Cameron, right, and cousin, Blake, 10, of San Antonio, after a duck hunting expedition on the backside of San Jose Island on a recent chilly day.

Neoprene wetsuits and layered clothing can be only so effective in a stout norther. Even when they bundle up, surfers, windsurfers, duck hunters, fishermen and other sportsmen still can get pretty chilly this time of year. But, for some, love of sport conquers fear of cold. Chris Shannon of Port Aransas has surfed the Texas coast virtually every winter for the past 30 years. It's not unusual to see him riding waves when the air and water temperatures are in the 50s. When the waves are really good, he said, it's plenty worth venturing into the cold. “To me, surfing is a natural high,” Shannon said. “I am so close with nature, and it makes me feel closer to God. So, why not surf every day?” The best conditions for gigging flounder are at night during cold fronts. Greg Cartwright of Port Aransas says he gets cold out there on his 18-foot johnboat, but he stays motivated by a sense of adventure. “It's like Easter egg hunting. You never know how many you'll find or what else you'll find,” said Cartwright, 45. “A lot of things move at night that don't happen during the daytime.”

Getting ready Florence Tissot of Corpus Christi stays warm in a heavy coat and cap while rigging her windsurfer for a few rides off the beach in Port Aransas on a cold December day. She wore a wetsuit once she got in the water.

For Coastal Bend windsurfers, winter isn't just something to be endured.

“It's the perfect time for the side and on-shore wind conditions, and with the south side of the Port Aransas jetty, it sets up the waves – smooth as glass,” said Les Daniels, a Corpus

Out in the cold Edward De Hoyos of San Antonio wears a heavy coat and a mask while fishing during a blustery norther at Ancel Brundrett Pier Dec. 3.

Christi resident who windsurfs in Port Aransas and at San Jose Island frequently during the winter.

A lot of duck hunting is done in local waters when the weather is coldest. Port Aransas duck hunter Johnny Gaines says it's really not so bad if you wear layered clothing. And Gaines said he feels the pull to get out there with his shotgun because it's how he was raised.

“A lot of people might look at us and think we're crazy to go out in that weather. My wife does,” Gaines said. “I guess it's just instinctive for me.”

All-weather windsurfer Philippe Tissot of Corpus Christi wears wetsuit material from head to toe while windsurfing recently at the beach in Port Aransas.