A half dozen injured Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans became warriors of the waves Friday at Huguenot Memorial Park.

Hoots and howls echoed near the north jetty area of the park off Heckscher Drive when the vets rode thigh-high waves.

Florida Surfing Association President Paul West organized the surf camp for the Wounded Warrior Project based in Jacksonville.

"I've always had a lot of respect for the military," said West, whose father was a military veteran. "We can go surfing anytime because of our freedom. But these guys protected that freedom. Surfing can be therapeutic."

The therapy seemed to work for the veterans who took part in the Surf Warriors camp.

Tommy Toomey, 28, was an Army sergeant in 2007 when he was in a building in Ramadi, Iraq that was attacked by suicide bomber. Many in his unit were injured. He has been rehabilitating from a traumatic brain injury ever since.

He said being coached by the dozen surf instructors who helped the Wounded Warriors Friday was a thrill. He never imagined he'd surf.

"It's something I never really tried," Toomey said. "It takes you out of your comfort zone. But you have to cope; it's something that you have to overcome."
Other veterans at the camp had similar experiences. Most were smiling as they came out of the water after paddling into the waves.

Wounded Warrior recruiter Melody Godwin said she was impressed with the Florida Surfing Association and the longboards provided for the event. It got veterans who had been through gunshots, post traumatic stress disorder and spinal injuries out of their routine while reintegrating into society.

"I'm awe inspired," Godwin said while standing on the beach, often cheering on the veterans.

"These are guys who were pushed to their limit. These [surf] volunteers are unbelievable. Everybody stood up on a board

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Trout, reds, flounder and puppy drum are following the schools of bait in the backwaters. Anglers are reporting that fishing has been tough due to the abundance of live bait. Work the bait pods and hope for the best. Topwater plug fishing with Skitter Pops, Skitter Walks, Top Dogs and Sebiles are all producing trout, redfish, ladyfish and blues. Fort Clinch and Nassau sound bank anglers are reporting flounder fishing a mud minnow along the bottom.

The surf action consists of small whiting, sharks, blues, weakfish, speckled trout and ladyfish. Fresh shrimp and cut bait have been working well

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The ocean water temperature at the shore has been brisker than normal. It's not your imagination.

An "upwelling" has driven water temperatures along the Northeast Florida coast down into the lower 70s for the past two weeks, though National Weather Service officials said the temperatures could return to the normal lower 80s this weekend.

Jacksonville meteorologist Matt Zibura said ocean temperatures have been low for about two weeks because an upwelling, in which westerly wind pushes surface water out and cold water from below moves in.

"It looks like westerly winds that we have right now are usually the cause," Zibura said Thursday.

Usually, an upwelling lasts a couple days. But the current upwelling has been going on for most of this month, with the coolest water lapping the coast last weekend with a low of about 70 degrees. The water temperatures have been a little warmer this week, hovering around 75 degrees at National Weather Service buoys in Mayport and St. Augustine, Zibura said.

He said the water temperatures are usually in the lower 80s in July.

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BEST BET

This one's a no-brainer. The St. Johns River is the hot spot. Old-timers don't remember the river so full of life and there being so much of it. There are massive schools of pogies as far south as Riverdale. The shrimping is excellent, and the shrimp are larger than in recent memory for this early in the season. Blue crabs carpet the bottom — if they can stay away from the scads of large catfish trying to make a meal of them. Flounder are all over the river — and remember that this is a freshwater river. Up around the Shands Bridge, the croakers and yellowmouth trout are massing and getting larger. Redfish are vexing largemouth bass anglers in Doctors Lake. Speckled sea trout are biting in Doctors Inlet. The river is salty from lack of rain and jammed with fish.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/sports/outdo...#ixzz1SGxGmjVx