Leslie Could Bring Big Surf Starting Sunday

Although Hurricane Leslie is not predicted to make landfall in the U.S., Ocean City still might see some of the effects of the storm.

Leslie could produce some fairly large surf starting on Sunday and continuing throughout the early part of the week in Ocean City, with the waves likely to be bigger on Monday and Tuesday as the storm passes hundreds of miles off the coast.

Brian Liess, a surfer who works at 7th Street Surf Shop, said that the store will not be doing lessons from Sunday through Tuesday because of the size of the waves, which he said could be as big as six to eight feet.

Liess said it could be some of the best surf of the season.

"The wind's supposed to go off shore," he said. "It should be really good...For experienced surfers it should be a good couple of days for surfing."

Originally, predictions called for larger waves on Saturday, but with Leslie stalling in the Atlantic, those waves might come later than expected.

Liess said he hopes to make time early this week to paddle out.

"The storm's kind of stalling down there, but once it starts coming up the coast it should get bigger," he said.

The storm is predicted to pass Bermuda on Sunday, possibly pummeling the island with hurricane force winds at 74 mile per hour or greater, before tracking across the Atlantic toward Newfoundland.

According to the Ocean City Beach Patrol, bathers should not venture past waist deep water, depending on currents and rip tides. The beach patrol reported a high rip tide warning on Saturday.

The beach patrol will guard the following 10 beaches through Sunday, Sept. 16:

• Stenton Place
• St. Charles Place
• Brighton
• 8th Street through 12th Street
• 34th Street
• 58th Street