I just saw step into liquid again last night, and it got me thinking about when I used to live in buffalo. I picked up windsurfing, but knew a guy who would surf on the canadian side just west of Fort Erie. Anyone know what the waves are like? I’m thinking that fall/winter with the storms would be the only time. What kind of board would you use? Just a longboard or I’m thinking a fish? Other lake surfers input?
Pat
I surfed Erie, PA last Thanksgiving. Surfing freshwater was on my "list of things to do before I die, (preferably not immediately prior)," and now I have crossed it off. It involved religiously checking <a href="http://www.lakevision.com/navigate.php" class="bb-url">http://www.lakevision.com/navigate.php</a> and the marine reports as well as a 7 hour drive through the night from just south of Wash DC through a gale warning w/ several feet of snow. We passed 6 or 7 cars that had slid off of the road due to the snow. My aunt and uncle were kind enough to lend me there beach house on lake Erie for the weekend. Apparently it was not peak rental season.
I wore a 4/3, gloves, booties and a hood, and was able to stay out for an hour and a half (each session) before my feet went numb. My friends, who were surfing Jersey that weekend asked me if anyone else was out. Not only was I the only one surfing, but I was just about the only person outside period that weekend. My girlfriend came out to snap a few pictures as proof, and then hustled back inside to enjoy the wood stove. There was no ice in the water, but when I ran up the beach to check the point a 200 yards away, I got back in the water and slid right off of my board. I thought that I had forgotten to wax for a second, but realized that the absence of salt had left thin sheet of ice covering my <span style="text-decoration:underline">5'9" Mandala quad fish.</span> The cobble point wasn't working quite as well as I had envisioned it the previous summer due to the short period waves with out a lot of "wrap around" to them... but fortunately, the marina next door must have been dredged for the boats, creating a steeper bank to concentrate the wave energy. Chest high waves were lined up down the bank.
The funniest part of the trip was when I decided to attempt a gloss coat on the old Robert august board as well as a couple new dings from the rock bottom of lake Erie. I posted some questions about the repair of the August the better part of a year ago. I did it in the den with the doors closed and heat turned all the way up. Of course the house reeked unbearably from the resin's styrene fumes. So we decided to take a walk over to the local winery. We sampled the better part of the list while the house aired out. The hostess was kind enough to make sure that we were not driving home. After purchasing a bottle of red for myself, a bottle of port for passing around next fall's beach camp-fires in Delaware, and a bottle of sherry for my dear mother, I made it down the steps alright, but slipped in a patch of ice in the parking lot. My feet went way up in the air and I landed on my back with the precious cargo suspended just high enough to avoid breakage. Either my winter clothing provided enough padding or else the cold Erie water was enough to keep both the pain and swelling away. The only thing injured was my pride.
You’ve motivated me to post the pictures that I got on my disposable camera. I’ll try to get them posted this week. The ice sculptures that formed on the rocks from the freezing spray onto the marina is a sight that I will never forget.
Good luck,
Spoons
I too am fascinated by this lake surfing thing. I’m just blown away everytime I see a pick of a decent ridable wave from there. would be interesting if this thread could expand to other freshwater or enclosed bodies – Caspian Sea, Aral Sea, Lake Victoria, Tanganyika, Baikal… and the Black Sea.
check the ESA Great Lakes forum for Lake Erie and Ontario specific info.
Third Coast Surf Shop also has a Lake Erie forum.
I’ve never surfed Lake Erie but I surf Lake Michigan regularly.
I might be biased but Lake Erie probably has the worst surf on the lakes, it’s small and shallow. Lake Superior looks the best (and the coldest), followed by Huron and Michigan.
There are waves year round, unless the lake freezes over. It’s best from August (trunks and small waves) to April. January was really good this year, if you don’t mind 7-mm gloves and booties.
Board choice depends on your weight and skill. I ride a wide 80s rocker shortboard, a fish, or once in a while a funboard.
I’ll dig up some photos for ya. Fresh water is addictive.
Here’s a photo from last Thanksgiving, on Lake Michigan. Sorry no one’s out for scale, but I’d say its a bit overhead (by lake standards, who knows what OBSF or hawaiians would call it). It’s about 20 deg. F. out and waves get bigger as it gets colder 
that lighthouse is about 40 feet tall
this is what surf looks like most of the time:
We prefer stuff like this, however:
one more for the road
all photos Lake Michigan last winter, all by mee
Ryan from Third Coast Surf Shop has also put together quite a gallery of great lakes surfing. the link is http://www.thirdcoastsurfshop.com/photo_gallery.htm
Here is my money shot:
hey, surfbum – that’s a great site site. forget J-Bay… Stony Point!
hi pat; i attended Gannon College in Erie , pa back in the late 60’s during junior year, the snow was soooo bad to kill some of the boredom, i contacted Dave Sweet(in this months Surfers Journal) who send me a custom blank which i glassed in the basement of the house, almost killing us all between the fumes and the inflamables—amyway, came spring and i had a blast surf small clean waves on the lake front when i should have been studying for my exams—took the board home to jesrey for the summer and snapped it on a pier the very first time i rode it in salt water…karma or what?
Thanks for the great responses and links y’all. I’m going back home this summer, and every time I do the folks try to get me to stay. With housing prices what they are in california, sometimes it’s a bit tempting as long as I could surf a bit. I never really got into windsurfing like the bug hit with surfing. Of course, then I walk down to cowells on a good low tide and have the longest rides of my life, or hit up the lane when there’s a little punch, and think I must be crazy to think about moving. I’ve got a friend who lives in forestville NY, it’s about 1/2 way between buffalo and Erie Pa. Thought about visiting him this summer and trying to bring some sails and boards. Maybe even a longboard if I could dig one up, although the summers were always pretty flat.
pat