Hey Folks,
This is a video shot in a Munich/Germany river.
http://wwwiti.cs.uni-magdeburg.de/~sdassow/own_homepage/surfboard.html
Look in the text for “Eisbach video”
heh…german surf music trips me out
ICH BIN EIN BERLINER!!!
Nice!!! There is a group of guys doing this on the Snake river in Wyoming at lunch Counter Rapid. There have been guys on thrusters and one guy I saw on an ~8’ fun board shape. Fun surf in a kayak too.
Hafte
i have a good friend who lives and surfs there. we have made some purpose built boards for the river too. heres some shots in the recent flooding they had. they have a fun drop to get on to this one…
Hi Dave,
Nice shots. I don’t know if we have rivers in the region where I live in which we could ride this sort of waves. Some months ago, I saw a pic in a surfing newspaper showing a longboarder/shaper who used to live here, but has moved to the highlands of the country to manage a hostel. He was riding a very small wave (about 1 foot), nothing to envy. I will start to ask people who do rafting, kaiakeing, and some wind and paragliders (who are surfers too) about the river conditions they know. Could you say something about hazards in doing this kind of surfing? There are records on accidents? I remember to read a report in an old surfing magazine issue (in the 80’s) about authorities forbbiding surfers of getting into the river in Germany (maybe the same river).
I don’t know what region you live, but here in California, there are over 25 river waves you can surf with at least a funboard, like the American, Merced, Carmel, and any others up N of Sacto.
Common occurence, and you don’t have to jump off a bridge, you can just paddle out from the side of the river after hiking to there.
Hi LeeDD,
I live in Florianopolis/Brazil. It’s a small island linked to the mainland by two bridges. I’ve checked with some friends and they told me that there are some rivers about 1 or 2 hours with potential to this purpose. The problem is the access. For instance, the guys who do rafting jump in one point of the river and travel for some miles. They can point some rideable waves, but they are located in places you cannot reach by a track.
If you ever get up to the Amazon, the Pororoca looks like it’s worth checking out.
Hi Kenz,
Pororoca is a huge phenomena tht happens when there are large tide variations. You can ride a wave for more than 10 km. The problem is that you can find some trees, aligators, and piranhas in your way and, in addition, you need a boat. Another problem is that I live in southern part of the country, around 3.000 km from pororoca’s places. I can go to better places for the same amount of money (Peru, Equador, Galapagos, Panama, etc).
mein deutsch commraden gehaben fur viele jahres gesurfen. Wir machen super finnen und großsurfboarden. I will translate the site later paradon my horrible german and my false statement.
Mein Gott!!!
Hi Jeff,
Yeah, it seems like more of a novelty. I’m sure there are better waves in Brazil. But my wife is from Belem and has family in Macapa, so I was thinking to give it a go next time we visit. I’ve heard of all those hazards, but the one that freaks me out the most is the Candirú, the little fish that swims up your urethra and lodges itself in there and sucks your blood until you die.
…might have to wear a fullsuit for that trip.
just don’t pee in the water. the are attracted to the amonia in your urine which they think is the amonia from another fish’s gills. they lodge themselves in otherfishes gills and suck off nutrients, they are parasitic. they arn’t happy when they lodge in your yoohoo, and you arn’t either. I love discovery channel
oi jeff,
nao tinha ondas por muito tempo,ne? que voce estava fazendo? somente videos? haha, eu tambem em verdade…
foi para mocambique hoje, e os pesacadores etavamos fechando essa praia tambem. ante-ontem etsava boa ali, mas hoje… fui para matadeiro ontem e pegei ondas boas.
acha que seu lugar secreto entre canatas das aranhas e santhino esta boa esses dias? ou etsa fechado tambem?
estou indo surf crazy…
meu carro esta no mecanico, mas eu quero falar com voce de novo.
ahem, excuse me, jeff and i are a little surf crazy these days as the best beaches for surfing are closed for seasonal fishing. i think jeff might be a little more crazy than me though, ha…
I was reading this thread when I thought to myself , why am I reading this I should be charging the local river eh. So I went to the local spot on Michigan State University’s campus. Today was the first day, to my knowledge that it as been surfed and a surfboard.
I was a little worried about using a fiberglass board due to all the rocks so I used my soft board first. The cam ran out of power before I got the spot wired an brought out the epoxy fish. I had a blast.
Hi Kenz,
I think we have some things in common because my father in law is from Manaus and although my mother in law be from the southern region, my wife and her brother and sisters bring the north ethnic traces in them. Yeah, I know about candiru, too, but I think just a Lycra shorts is enough. Are planning to come to Brazil in short?
Hey Rob,
Yeah, I’m becoming a little surfcrazy. Yesterday I went to Moçambique beach, but it was coming just closeout sets. I made a try but after an hour I caught just a single wave to get out and go home. Joaquina has been the best place these last days, but it has around 200 heads in the peak, no way man! The secret spot is closed too. I have just hired a man to fix and paint my house, so these next 30 days I just can go surfing around here. We have to appoint a dinner again. My wife told me she wants to make a baked “tainha” for you and your wife. See you!
Hi Tooley,
That’s why I love Swaylocks…
For all: Have anybody seen the movie showing the Zambeze river being charged by surfers, bodyboarders, and kaiakers?
Ohh ya, Wicked Liquid and Wicked Liquid II. Huge stuff. I don’t recall any surfers in those movies. Its all kayak stuff. Pretty ballzy too.
If I remember right #12 has about the only curling/pitching ocean like wave I’ve ever seen on a river.
Not sure you could get to most of that run without starting at the top. That would be a ride on surfboard. As I recall there are a couple of rapids with 20’+ water falls… the croc’s would make for an interesting day too.
I got to get my fish done, and see if I can get out on my local play spots before the water goes away. A mat could be fun too.
Hafte
There’s two different aspects of river surfing here.
There’s Tidal Bores and then there jsut simple river surfing after a flood.
Tidal BOre surfing is NUTS…rides can last for miles. Literally you simply surf the incoming tide as it races back up the course of the river. These only happen about once aor twice a month at rivers in select spots of the globe. The Pororoca is widely known.
BUt the largest tidal bore producing wiver is in CHina. The Quiantang river can get huge. Like double to triple overhaead at times. They call it the Silver Dragon
Check the video out. NUTS I say. NO one was killed in that incedent fortunately.