River surfing

River surfing is the sport of surfing either standing waves or tidal bores in rivers. Claims for its origins include a 1955 ride of 1.5 miles along the tidal bore of the River Severn. [1]

River surfing on standing waves has been documented as far back as the mid 1970s in Munich, Germany and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Standing waves

In this type of river surfing, the wave is stationary on the river, caused by a high volume of water constricted by flowing over a rock and creating a wave behind. It is a form of hydraulic jump.^[1] A river surfer can face up-stream and catch this wave and have the feeling of traveling fast over water while not actually moving.

Locations

New Zealand

Serious Fun Riversurfing, the world's first commercial river surfing operation was started by Jon Imhoof in 1989^{[citation needed]}. Trips are run on the Kawarau River near Queenstown. Bodyboards are used to run rapids and ride standing waves on the river.

Europe

Surfing a standing wave on the Eisbach.

An annual surfing competition is held on the standing wave in the Eisbach in Munich, Germany [2] Munich has been the center of surfboard riding on a stationary wave since the mid 1980s.^{[citation needed]} Munich has produced the best river surfers and was the first location that created a true surfing community around an inland river wave.^{[citation needed]} On Austria's river Mur in Graz river surfing is a regular on two waves built for surfing in 2001 and rebuilt in 2004 by KanuClub Graz [3], [4]

North America

The Habitat 67 standing wave in the Lachine Rapids in Montreal, named for its location adjacent to the Habitat 67 housing complex, has become a popular destination for river surfing.^[2][3] Corran Addison, an Olympic kayaker and three-time world freestyle kayak champion, was the first to surf the Habitat wave in 2002. His river-surfing school, Imagine Surfboards, has taught 3,500 students since 2005. A second Montreal river-surfing school, KSF, has hosted 1,500 students a year since 2003. From fewer than 10 original surfers, it is estimated that the current of participants numbers around 500.^[4]

Pueblo, Colorado has also became a river surfing city. A kayak park was in built 2005 near downtown Pueblo and locals have been surfing features 3,4, and 7 ever since.

In the 2000s transplanted ocean surfers began riding standing waves in a number of rivers in Alberta, Canada. Several shops in Calgary now stock boards specifically designed for river surfing.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming is known as the most famous river surfing community in the US. The wave known as Lunch Counter has been surfed every summer by a small core group for more than 20 years.^[5]

Tidal bores

Tidal bores occur in relatively few locations worldwide, usually in areas with a large tidal range (typically more than 6 metres (20 ft) between high and low water), and where incoming tides are funneled into a shallow, narrowing river via a broad bay.^[6][7][8] Large bores can be particularly dangerous for shipping, but also present opportunities for river surfing.^[6] The funnel-like shape not only increases the tidal range, but it can also decrease the duration of the flood tide, down to a point where the flood appears as a sudden increase in the water level. Note the tidal bore takes place during the flood tide and never during the ebb tide.

Surfers on the Severn bore.

A tidal bore can create a powerful roar that combines the sounds caused by the turbulence in the bore front and whelps, entrained air bubbles in the bore roller, sediment erosion beneath the bore front and of the banks, scouring of shoals and bars, and impacts on obstacles.^[9]

Tidal bores are being surfed along coastal rivers such as the pororoca on the Amazon River or England's River Severn.^[10][11]

Severn bore

Surfing the Severn Bore has become a competitive sport with dozens of surfers vying to record the longest ride. The tidal surge also attracts canoeists and windsurfers. The present champion surfer is Dave Lawson from Hempsted, Gloucestershire, who has covered 5.7 miles on a surfboard. His record-breaking surf took more than 35 minutes and was logged by an official adjudicator from the British Surfing Association.^[12]

Pororoca bore

The pororoca is a tidal bore, with waves up to 4 meters high that travel as much as 13 kilometers inland upstream the Amazon River.

See also

• Riverboarding
• Lake surfing

References

External links

• RiverSurfing.ca - A global organization for River Surfers by River Surfers
• Standings wave in the Eisbach in Munich, Germany
• Red Cedar River Surfing on YouTube
• Eisbach NEWS and interviews with the Munich river surfing community