the great lakes guys would like to argue that point. see below: http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/2832589-417/surfing-mcdonald-chicago-lake-monday.html
"waves as high as 19 ft" ??? i dont think so. i unless maybe they are talkin like open "lake" swell. but i find that tough to beleive as well
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/product.php?site=dtx&product=glf&issuedby=lh here's the NOAA advisory for the storm mentioned in the article. max. wave heights for lake huron (3rd largest in terms of water volume, 2nd for surface area) are listed at 22ft. here's the wikipedia article on the great lakes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes i recommend the section about shipwrecks.
hard, hard core In Barbados early 2010 we ran into 2 guys at Soup Bowl. They were from the Chicago area & they loved surfing their home break: the Great Lakes. They were in BGI for the first time, like us, and they loved the warm waters & epic conditions & friendly people on the island. Good guys, we surfed many breaks with them over the course of the Barbados trip. They were typical low-key, regular Chicago guys. So we believed them when they told us a few surf stories about surfing life on the Great Lakes. The topper was that they have a contest in the winter surf to see who buys the post-surf beers. The contest is simple. It's who develops the best icicle on the face from being in the water.
that's gnarly! if you get the chance (& can find it) check out the film "unsalted". it's all about surfing on the great lakes. there are some b-level pros in it, & joe curren (tommy's little brother) comes off like a whiny, over-privleged little b---h IMO. but otherwise a pretty cool flick.
brrr yeah every time i think it gets cold paddling out here i just watch this: http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/lake-michigan-glassy-cold-and-peeling-indiana-ice-session_21918/ and then i feel better. look at slide 11
i know i will probably come across as a **** but i cant help laughing about that last slide that 1 guy is riding a quad setup. Like it matters in knee high? Maybe hes tryin to stay high and tight? haha i dunno
that ice is crazy. and they always brag about the ice, but if the water we were surfing was fresh instead of salt, we would have ice too.would we not?
