No ocean, no beach, no surf – no problem. For decades a select group of adrenaline-seeking Montrealers have found a way to surf despite the fact that they are located inland.
The secret is in the fast moving St. Lawrence River which forms eddies and white water in one particular spot. To find the hidden destination, surfers and onlookers take a dirt path just outside the fence of Habitat 67, the futuristic dwelling created by Moshe Safdie for the 1967 World Expo.
Surfers jump in upstream with their boards while holding rope being fed from shore. Without the rope they would simply be carried directly down stream. Once a surfer reaches the sweet spot in the river, they release the rope and, voila, they are surfing downtown. Facing upstream, the water’s momentum allows them to get up and maneuver in generally the same place until they fall or let the next person in line take their turn.
Some have lived in the city their whole lives and never have heard about this tradition. According to one teenager, surfing the St. Lawrence has been going on since the 40’s or 50’s.
While it isn’t quite the same as catching a 10 foot wave in the ocean, it certainly beats the cost of catching a plane to Maui.
Jordy Gold is the OpenCity Projects Editor and is a sustainability consultant. He has worked and studied in Geneva, Lund, Chiang Mai and Phuket. Jordy learned from the Swedes how to cycle in all conditions and can be seen on his bike 365 days a year throughout the core of Toronto.
photos used with permission by Kristin Neudorf
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hey hey- ya ya!!! It’s actually pretty awesome- have been there 2 handsful of times… would love to go to costa rica, but this is wonderful!
These photos def. give me a whole new picture of Montreal. My memories are of smoky cafes full of loud voices. Busy streets w/lots of cars and people .Not very pleasent. Now that I have seen these photos my mind is changed a bit
Very cool surfing.
There are still busy streets with lots of cars. That said there is an incredible network of physically separated bike lanes and hidden gems, like this surfing spot, that allow people to get away from urban life. I’ll be writing one or two more posts about things like a network of transformed empty lots that now hold beautiful urban gardens scattered through the core of the city.