Adrenaline Junkies Embrace Hurricane Irene On East Coast (VIDEOS)

WATCH: The Upside Of Being Downwind...

Hurricane Irene's been a boon for adrenaline junkies with an affinity for water sports. Rather than wimping out and running for cover, these brave — or foolish — souls are confronting Irene straight on, heading to the shore and hitting the amplified waves.

As everyone else ran to Home Depot to get some boards for their windows, these storm surfers ran towards the water carrying their boards. In the age of YouTube, it seems inevitable that these hurricane surfers would completely disregard their own safety but remember to bring along video cameras.

"The risk, the excitement factor… getting really good waves is addicting," hurricane surfer Shea Lopez told ABC News. "It's something that's uncommon. I couldn't be any more excited for any day of the year."

Such is the surfer's mentality.

The 49th annual East Coast Surfing Championships continued in Virginia Beach on Friday — webcast here — though organizers said they planned to cancel Saturday's events so that no surfers would be injured.

Surfing Hurricane Irene

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