In the north end of Ocean City, New Jersey, the water washed away the sand all the way up to the dunes, leaving sunbathers with little room.
"I've never seen such high tides. I was on the beach yesterday, and it had carved cliffs that were six feet tall in some places," said Mimi Daleng of Ocean City.
The wave action was so powerful that they exposed the giant, sand-filled geo tubes that are placed on the beach to protect the dunes behind them from washing away.
City crews were out Monday morning to cover over the geo tubes.
"The geo tubes in this area are our last bit of protection. There are some dunes, but mostly it's the geo tubes," said Jim Rutala of the Ocean City Business Administration.
Ocean City finished a beach replenishment project last year in the north end. Rutala said, thankfully, the 2010 federal budget includes $6.5 million more for beach replenishment.
However, what Bill took away from the beach it gave back in the water. Surfers were still enjoying the huge waves crashing into the shore.
"The last couple of days the waves have been a little bumpy and a little unpredictable, you kind of get knocked around," said surfer Chris Smith. "But this is what we live for the whole year."
Surfers described the waves as "Christmas, Easter and the Fourth of July rolled into one."
