Riding the Waves

There's a unique form of surfing going on in Sint Maarten.
A fence at the incoming end of the airport's runway separates it from a small strip of beach which is crossed by a single lane road. The beach is bordered on both sides by cocktail bars.
As the planes make their approach spectators get the rush of standing mid-beach, directly in the planes path as it lands a short distance past the fence, but the real fun comes when the jets take off.
"Surfers" stand, holding on to the chain-link fence, facing directly in to the jet's path of exhaust. Since mountains face the pilots at the other end of the runway they have no choice but to start close to the fence for take off. As they fire-up to lift off into the trade winds the fence surfers fly, holding on for dear life until the jet moves along down the runway. A flurry of flying sand adds to the excitement.
The enthusiasm for this dangerous thrill may be fueled by the nearby bars.
When we visited St. Martin 10 years ago we heard a story of a small car that was flipped over by the force of the jet exhaust but it appears the surfers are still enjoying their sport.
What a rush!