Great Lakes Surfing

[MakiSupaStar]

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/gr...is-core_20518/

This is almost as crazy as riding big waves IMO.

[EricF]

That makes me cold just looking at the pics.

[Webtroll]

/gorge costanza voice: IT WAS COLD!

[Croox]

Thats insane, and Lake Michigan is always freezing cold. you couldn't get me in that lake even during the summer. its between 35-40F now and gets up to MAYBE 60F during the summer.

[Phalex]

Anytime you're ready Maki, I got a place for you to stay.

[superbassman2000]

forget lake michigan--try lake superior!

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by superbassman2000

forget lake michigan--try lake superior!

Why is there better surf there?

[T.O.Bass]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

Why is there better surf there?

http://www.superiorsurfclub.com/

They certainly seem to think so!

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

Why is there better surf there?

Ever hear of the Edmund Fitzgerald?? Better hurry up and get out here before the ice starts piling up on the shore. That stuff will beat the living crap outta you!

[T.O.Bass]

http://www.lakesurf.com/

And a forum.

But yeah Maki, Lake superior is know to turn from placid to raging in minutes. And the waves there get can pretty big for a lake.

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by T.O.Bass

http://www.superiorsurfclub.com/

They certainly seem to think so!

Originally Posted by Phalex

Ever hear of the Edmund Fitzgerald?? Better hurry up and get out here before the ice starts piling up on the shore. That stuff will beat the living crap outta you!

LMAO. I've been surfing for 19 years and I don't belong to any surf clubs. I've always kind of laughed at the thought. Although, if I had to surf the great lakes, I probably would for moral support.

Edmund Fitzgerald??? Pics? Oh and don't worry Phalex. There is no way in hell that I'm taking a mid-winter surf trip to the Great Lakes. Alaska maybe, but Great Lakes not a snowball's chance in hell.

[IAmTheDood]

your a wuss if you won't go in lake michigan!

mid august it's between 60 and 70 degrees. further south it's better.

i'm sure lake superior has better waves.. michigan's waves are usually good for surfboard saling.

[DblG]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

Edmund Fitzgerald??? Pics?

http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...und_Fitzgerald

It's the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee."

[MakiSupaStar]

Bah. I was hoping for a sunken ship that created a surf break.

[hbarcat]

The waves on Superior are. . . well, superior.

The most popular surfing, though, is windsurfing and I've seen quite a few of them out there in their suits when the water is less than 50 F. I've only been on a sailboard a few times and that was always in the summer when the water temp (at the surface and near to shore) is above 70 F. There's often steady 15-20 knot winds blowing on Lake Superior which is ideal for consistent planing. I can't compare it to traditional surfing, because I've never done it but I've rarely seen good conditions for it on the big lake--the waves just don't often get much over 4 feet. And when they do, you really don't want to be out in it.

[KeithBMI]

That's cool. I never thought about surfing in Michigan.

+1 to what others are saying. The Great Lakes are coldddd! I go to the Silver Lake sand dunes in the summer and Lake Michigan is still pretty cold.

[Georynn]

Originally Posted by DblG

http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...und_Fitzgerald

It's the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiCx1mTx-aI

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

The waves on Superior are. . . well, superior.

The most popular surfing, though, is windsurfing and I've seen quite a few of them out there in their suits when the water is less than 50 F. I've only been on a sailboard a few times and that was always in the summer when the water temp (at the surface and near to shore) is above 70 F. There's often steady 15-20 knot winds blowing on Lake Superior which is ideal for consistent planing. I can't compare it to traditional surfing, because I've never done it but I've rarely seen good conditions for it on the big lake--the waves just don't often get much over 4 feet. And when they do, you really don't want to be out in it.

I used to windsurf pretty much all winter, on the Columbia, Lake Washington, and Puget Sound. I have plenty of friends who used to sail the Turnagain Arm in Alaska too, which is absolutely nuts IMO. And the Oregon big wave contest Maki linked to the other day ain't exactly a tropical paradise with umbrella drinks at a thatched-roofed shack on the beach.

I've windsurfed on water as low as 37 degreesF. Notice I said on, not in. It gets relative comfy at about 50 degrees, but that's highly dependent on the air temp. Real surfers have a much different thing going on, and that Great Lakes stuff looks really hardcore to me...

A link on stoopid Gorge winter sailing protocol.

Here's a real time pic from a few minutes ago at one of the better winter launch sites in Washington State, about 20 miles from my house. Water temp today is ~49F, wind speed is averaging 30 with gusts to 33. The waves are tiny because of the wind direction going with the current. Most of the year it blows against the current and jacks things up a lot more -- head high or higher is quite common, in the spring especially.

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by Passinwind

I used to windsurf pretty much all winter, on the Columbia, Lake Washington, and Puget Sound. I have plenty of friends who used to sail the Turnagain Arm in Alaska too, which is absolutely nuts IMO. And the Oregon big wave contest Maki linked to the other day ain't exactly a tropical paradise with umbrella drinks at a thatched-roofed shack on the beach.

I've windsurfed on water as low as 37 degreesF. Notice I said on, not in. It gets relative comfy at about 50 degrees, but that's highly dependent on the air temp. Real surfers have a much different thing going on, and that Great Lakes stuff looks really hardcore to me...

A link on stoopid Gorge winter sailing protocol.

Here's a real time pic from a few minutes ago at one of the better winter launch sites in Washington State, about 20 miles from my house. Water temp today is ~49F, wind speed is averaging 30 with gusts to 33. The waves are tiny because of the wind direction going with the current. Most of the year it blows against the current and jacks things up a lot more -- head high or higher is quite common, in the spring especially.

Those waves on the bottom of that pic look almost longboardable.

[Phalex]

So far the weather is pretty nice around these parts. (relatively...)

Found some web cams from around the area: http://www.micharterboats.com/greatlakeswebcams.html