Stixx Rider Wes Beck Hits Texas Coast for Swell at Bob Hall Pier

By slayshTank on March 1, 2010

Team Rider Wes Beck with a Gulf Launch photo Kevin Smith

Wes Beck headed back home to the Texas Coast for a swell at Bob Hall Pier. Friend and photographer Kevin Smith caught some of the action behind the lens. You can find Bob Hall Pier by taking Highway 358 from Corpus Christi, across the JFK Causeway, until it dead-ends into Park Road 22. Take the Park Road until you reach the Padre Balli Park. The pier is in the Park. Bob Hall Pier showcases quite a bit of talent for the south Texas region, as well as offers some decent pier fishing. There continue to be problems between overzealous fishermen and surfers, especially since the good fishing is not typically where surfers line up — on the sandbars — but rather on the channels between the bars. It seems that some fishermen choose to cast purposely into the crowds for no other reason but to harass them.

A LIttle slayshy Sequence photo Kevin Smith

As far as the surfing goes, the sand is relatively stable, firing off consistent bowls to the north and south of the pier — depending on swell direction — along with secondary and tertiary peaks on each side that provide solid, strong surf from both ground- and windswells. The right combination of offshore winds and groundswell can produce hollow, steep drops that blend into long, workable and pushy walls. The crowd tends to be competitive, and can be as aggressive as any Texas spot when resources grow scarce. At the park, gnarly restrooms are available for a quick steamer, and there are campsites that allow tents or RVs. There are a few convenience stores and restaurants available on the island, but Bob Hall Pier does have a bait shop/snack bar. Still, the bulk of the food, shopping and hotel opportunities are in Corpus Christi proper. — Jeff Snyder surfline.com