{"id":1544,"date":"2025-04-04T20:07:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T00:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/?p=1544"},"modified":"2025-04-04T20:07:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T00:07:00","slug":"surfing-is-not-always-in-the-ocean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/04\/surfing-is-not-always-in-the-ocean\/","title":{"rendered":"Surfing is not always in the Ocean!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Lake Surfing: Chasing Wind Swells in the Great Lakes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, you can surf in the middle of Canada. Lake surfers rely on wind-generated swells rather than ocean tides, but the Great Lakes\u2014particularly Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and Lake Superior\u2014offer surprisingly good waves when the conditions line up. Fall and winter storms are prime time, with powerful winds creating short-period swells that mimic ocean surf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Toronto (Lake Ontario)<\/strong>: Ashbridges Bay and Bluffers Park are local favorites. When strong southeast or east winds hit, Bluffers can serve up punchy, hollow waves, while Ashbridges offers a more accessible beach break.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Prince Edward County<\/strong>: Sandbanks Provincial Park is a go-to for lake surfers in eastern Ontario. When wind and direction align, it delivers long rides and clean walls, especially on southwest winds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lake Erie<\/strong>: Spots like Port Stanley and Long Point can surprise with solid waves. Erie\u2019s smaller size means it reacts quickly to wind events, making it a great \u201cstrike mission\u201d lake when conditions pop.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lake Superior<\/strong>: With its vast surface area and exposure to large storms, Superior produces the biggest and most ocean-like waves in the Great Lakes. Surf spots near Duluth (U.S.) and the Canadian side around Terrace Bay and Thunder Bay are known for rugged beauty and powerful surf.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lake Huron<\/strong>: Don\u2019t sleep on Huron. Kincardine, Goderich, and Grand Bend all light up during fall wind events. The waves here are often glassier than Ontario\u2019s, and the sunsets are legendary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Lake surfing demands patience, a good wind\/swell forecast app, and a thick wetsuit (especially in winter). But for those who commit, it opens up an entire inland surf culture that\u2019s full of stoke and spontaneity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/beginners-guide-to-surfing-ontario.jpg.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/beginners-guide-to-surfing-ontario.jpg.webp 1000w, https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/beginners-guide-to-surfing-ontario.jpg-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/beginners-guide-to-surfing-ontario.jpg-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/beginners-guide-to-surfing-ontario.jpg-746x420.webp 746w, https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/beginners-guide-to-surfing-ontario.jpg-696x392.webp 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>River Surfing: The Standing Waves of Canada<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond oceans and lakes, Canada\u2019s rivers offer a unique take on surfing\u2014standing waves. These are permanent or semi-permanent waves created by water rushing over rocks or riverbeds, forming a rideable wave that stays in place. You paddle in and carve forever (or until your legs give out).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Montreal (St. Lawrence River)<\/strong>: <em>Habitat 67<\/em> is Canada\u2019s most iconic river wave. Formed by a channel in the St. Lawrence near a residential complex, this wave is powerful, fast, and surprisingly ocean-like. Surfers line up year-round\u2014even when the snow is falling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Alberta (Kananaskis River)<\/strong>: Just outside Calgary, the <em>Mountain Wave<\/em> is a custom-built river wave created with input from the surf community. It\u2019s consistent, rideable much of the year, and surrounded by alpine scenery that feels like a postcard.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ottawa River<\/strong>: The river running between Ontario and Quebec hides several surfable waves, including <em>Champlain Bridge Wave<\/em> and <em>Lachine Rapids<\/em>. Spring and early summer (when runoff is high) are the best times to catch these waves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Quebec City (St. Charles River)<\/strong>: A smaller, lesser-known standing wave near the urban core, it\u2019s mostly local surf and kayak riders who know about it\u2014but it&#8217;s gaining traction with Quebec\u2019s tight-knit river surf crew.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>River Wave Parks<\/strong>: Across Canada, there&#8217;s growing interest in building artificial river waves for year-round surfing. Places like Cochrane, Alberta, and others in B.C. have been proposed or are in development stages, aiming to bring standing waves to more inland communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>River surfing has its own rhythm and culture. It\u2019s not about chasing swells\u2014it\u2019s about flow, finesse, and connection to the water. It&#8217;s also super beginner-friendly, offering a great way to practice pop-ups, balance, and carving in a more controlled setting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/River-surfing-in-Montreal-1024x640.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/River-surfing-in-Montreal-1024x640.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/River-surfing-in-Montreal-300x188.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/River-surfing-in-Montreal-768x480.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/River-surfing-in-Montreal-1536x960.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/River-surfing-in-Montreal-672x420.jpeg 672w, https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/River-surfing-in-Montreal-696x435.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/River-surfing-in-Montreal-1068x668.jpeg 1068w, https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/River-surfing-in-Montreal.jpeg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lake Surfing: Chasing Wind Swells in the Great Lakes Yes, you can surf in the middle of Canada. Lake surfers rely on wind-generated swells rather than ocean tides, but the Great Lakes\u2014particularly Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and Lake Superior\u2014offer surprisingly good waves when the conditions line up. Fall and winter storms are prime time, with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1545,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[235,17,229,19],"tags":[227,226,263,264,266,223,259],"class_list":{"0":"post-1544","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-home","8":"category-sports","9":"category-surf","10":"category-travel","11":"tag-canadasurf","12":"tag-coldwavesurf","13":"tag-montreal","14":"tag-ottawa","15":"tag-quebec","16":"tag-surf","17":"tag-waves"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1544"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1547,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1544\/revisions\/1547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbc-surf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}