As Hurricane Sandy moves towards America's East Coast, so are a number of thrillseekers.
Drawn by the heavy winds, one woman assured cameras they were "far enough from the water" not to get wet.
When Hurricane Irene hit the region last year professional surfers flocked to beaches in New Jersey to ride the 30ft waves - despite being warned by then governor Chris Christie to "get the hell off the beach."
A surfer holds tight to his board against the strong winds and high surf of the Atlantic Ocean before the arrival of Hurricane Sandy on Sunday
It's expected New York will take a battering when Sandy, which has been labelled a 'frankenstorm' hits.
The city's Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered the evacuation of low-lying areas of New York, around 375,000 people, as well as the closure of all public transport saying the hurricane is a "serious and dangerous storm".
President Barack Obama urged Americans "to take this very seriously and follow the instructions of your state and local officials, because they are going to be providing you with the best advice in terms of how to deal with this storm over the coming days" in a separate press conference.
Hurricane Sandy is predicted to hit near New York City around 8pm US eastern time (12am GMT).
The "life-threatening" storm surge that is expected to hit the entire east coast is likely to be compounded by high tides brought about by the full moon and could be up to 11ft (3.4-metre) high.
