Meet New England’s dedicated surfers returning to the icy waters off the shores of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island year-round.
The 30-minute film is an ode to everyday New Englanders—moms, dads, doctors, movers, financial planners, lawyers, immigrants, soldiers—who share a love of being in the ocean no matter how cold or how small the waves are.
New England isn’t typically associated with spectacular scenes of sea smoke and fuchsia winter sunrises. Director Greg Shea says he grew up a stone’s throw from the ocean in Massachusetts, but never saw sights like this until capturing them in “Winter Surfing.” Filming took place at beaches across Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island as a powerful nor-easter blanketed the region in snowfall as high as two feet.
“Winter Surfing” explores the magnetic pull that draws surfers to the Atlantic Ocean and the sense of community they find there. Among the surfers featured in the film is Pam Chevez, a multidisciplinary designer, artist and surfer from Mexico City who moved to Westbrook, ME five years ago. Chevez co-founded Maine Women Surf, a collective of surfer women who empower each other and diversify the cold water surf scene.
