You can't surf on the great lakes...here's proof...

[pbourdon]

Some of the nicest waves I've EVER seen on the lakes...too bad the water was 36 degrees. Still, hats off to that crew for getting this session in and documenting it so well.

http://www.thirdcoastsurfshop.com/fo...php?f=1&t=7390

[Jer]

Hypothermia is actually a pretty cool buzz.

[ill-advised strategy]

I liked this one:

[Mustafa]

36 degree water? No....wait...did you say 36 degrees? I thought San Diego winters were cold. You guys are men.

[Mustafa]

Looks mushy as shit but props for getting at it!

[Long duc dong]

Wow...That's some dedication.

[bostonski]

Thats sick...good for you guys...looks like its closing out fast but I guess you can't be picky on the great lakes.

[Blanton]

Nice shot... this was my first year surfing the lakes and it was actually a lot of fun. I should also note that I rode the same 6x19x2.1 that I did in California. Surfing that on the lakes is more a pumping foot placement act than anything.

[Cliff Huckable]

I caught a fever just looking at those.

[fantastic_damage]

36 degrees...damn!
low 50's is my threshold unless it is really DAMN GOOD.

[Jer]

I caught a fever just looking at those.

Does it seem serious? Possibly even life-threatening?

oh please - oh please!!!

[emetic]

if those guy like surfing so much they should seriously move to the coast.

[Neezer]

Yeah, they do actually do it...kyak surfing is also a great time, I've only done it on lake michigan in the summer, but 2-4 footers are quite fun to ride in a kyak.

[pbourdon]

Yeah, I don't surf much past about the middle of October....mid 50s is about my limit too, besides once winter rolls in I'd rather be riding snow any way. Still, there is a group of some really dedicated dudes around here that surf until the ice builds up too much to keep them out of the water. For the west coast guys that are following this thread, lakers surf in 6/5/4s with 7mm booties and gloves...They claim its warm....I don't buy it for a second...and yeah, its mushy, but these shots represent the potential that the lakes have.

[dumpy]

Does anyone on here surf the Great Lakes? I'm beyond a surf JONG (a bit of body boarding in my youth is the closest thing I got), but have always wanted to learn.

I live about an hour from Ontario and my family has a place on the lake, I've seen some big effing waves on that lake (even in semi-protected a harbor) and have contemplated the possibilities. I saw a news story a few years ago where some guys were surfing near Oswego NY (South shore of the lake) in December, so it can be done.

I'm assuming I'd want to learn elsewhere (more consistent waves, warmer temps when there are waves, more people to learn from etc) and then hit the lakes. is this accurate?

What about tanker surfing? This seems like it might work, but then again the tankers that have to travel down the St. Lawrence are smaller than strictly ocean based tankers.

[pbourdon]

Dumpy, I surf the lakes, but as I said in my previous post, I pretty much just stick to the warm water and smaller waves of the summer season. In a good year I can surf about 15-25 times between July and the end of September. If you're near Ontario, I can't be of too much assistance as far as where to go around there. Check out the forums over at thirdcoastsurfshop.com. They have forums split up by lake. There's no reason you can't learn on the lakes, but the only real hurdle there is getting a number of consecutively good days to learn on.

[dumpy]

^^^Thanks, I actually checked out those forums already, found some information. Found a few spots not too far away (and really close to my family's cottage). I'm thinking summer, fall and mid-late spring only, I've got too much of another distraction come winter. Plus I don't think I can hack that kind of cold (summers bad enough).

[jennygirl]

the guy without the hoodie is crazy! you'd lose your breath every time you had to duck under a wave, bbbrrrrrrrr! i paddled out once in OR when it was hailing...but the water temp was still in the 40's, definitely not as gnar at those guys.

[noparking]

damn that's cold