About Jon Coen

I live on Long Beach Island, in the great state of New Jersey.… like, year round. Winters can be a little rough, long stretches of frozen desolation. But then there are those surreal days of soft snowfall and empty waves. Summers are crazy hectic. As the Island swells to capacity we all have to put our heads down to make coin, but our friends are all around, the island is green and the water’s blue. Of course, in between those are the blissful days when the garden is exploding and someone drops off fresh striped bass, chasing snowy barrels in the winter or blue claw crabs with my kid in the summer.
11 03, 2021

Talking to a Made Guy from a NYC Crime Family

By |March 11th, 2021|Editorial|

Growing up in New Jersey or New York, you learn a lot about Italian American culture, even if you're not Italian.  Combine that with the amount of classic mafia movies made in the last 40 years and you definitely feel how organized crime, or at least the legend of organized criminals starts to expand. I think we're all aware of stories and myths of who's a "made guy" and the ...

18 02, 2021

Hunter Jones for Surfline

By |February 18th, 2021|Editorial|

As much as I enjoy the movement toward a more racially just society, it always gets me that we were discussing these topics 25 years ago in the punk rock world. But I'm very excited to get to write about people who are breaking boundaries for race and gender. "Following a year where the struggle for racial justice in America has everyone throwing keyboard haymakers at each other, Jones, a ...

28 01, 2021

Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Goes Virtual

By |January 28th, 2021|Editorial|

Ok. Not the same as being on the North Shore in Hawaii but it was cool to talk to Jack Robinson and Cliff Kapono. The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing is a 35-year long tradition on the North Shore. But unlike everything else that had to go virtual, the change this year may have actually been good for the event as it allowed flexibility around swell/spots, gave the women a ...

8 01, 2021

John John Florence 2021 for Men’s Journal

By |January 8th, 2021|Editorial|

Started off the year getting a piece on a conversation with John John Florence published at Men's Journal. The first time I spoke with Florence he was about 13, coming out to surf the Belmar Pro. His mother is from Ocean Grove and he still has family there. The next time we met he was 15 and we chatted in his treehouse, out behind his Mom's place at Pipe. This ...

2 10, 2020

Oystex by Jetty video

By |October 2nd, 2020|Commercial Work, Video Production|

It's amazing when you work with your friends creating content around projects that match your own beliefs.. This fall, Jetty launched their new Oystex apparel, made of recycled plastic water bottles and oyster shells. It diverts two products from the waste stream to create some fantastic threads. And of course, the oyster bit is an amazing fit since they support an oyster reef project in our local waters that also ...

12 09, 2020

Guide to Skateparks at the Jersey Shore for New Jersey Life

By |September 12th, 2020|Commercial Work, Editorial|

Every once in a while, New Jersey Monthly taps me for a little piece on things happening along the coast. They use the term "Jersey Shore," more than I'd like but all good. This one was a round up of the Skatepark of the New Jersey Shore, on offer north and south. There are a few that have opened in this time. Kind of a roadmap for me and Archie ...

30 08, 2020

America’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm for New Jersey Monthly

By |August 30th, 2020|Editorial|

Renewables! I wrote this feature story that appeared in the June issue of New Jersey Monthly. This was one of those "dig in" kind of research pieces, which was kind of nicely timed with quarantine. While there are some new concerns about the underwater power lines and fish migration, I have been told by my best sources that it shouldn't be a reality. That said, I am very proud that ...

18 08, 2020

Jetty // Welcome Mia Gallagher

By |August 18th, 2020|Commercial Work, Video Production|

The crew at Jetty are longtime friends and I love every project I get to do with them. When they signed young surfer Mia Gallagher of Ocean City, they had me produce a fun little video welcoming her to the family. Really seems like a great fit. We had some waves and ice cream on a summer day. Is there anything better than that? Shot by John Gilman and Tony ...

2 08, 2020

5 Best East Coast Hurricane Swells of All Time

By |August 2nd, 2020|Commercial Work|

This summer I got all nostalgic for the Hurricane Season of '95. I was 20 years old, listening to punk, working in the back of restaurants and getting on the non-stop hurricane swells that were lining up off the equator. I saw Sublime and Quicksand that summer on the first Warp Tour and it set the tone for summers to come. Jimmicane In honor of the 25 year ...

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