Video Shows Surfers At Park Point In September – A Gnarly, Cold Experience
When you think of surfing, usually a warm sunny beach comes to mind. You don't generally think of Duluth Minnesota on a cloudy, cold, windy day. However, around here that seems to be when you take notice of people grabbing their surfboards and hitting the waves. Many come from around the region to Lake Superior, and this time of year brings some of our best rolling waves.
We've had some pretty windy days in the last few weeks. YouTuber Vibe With Mike has some cool videos around Duluth and the area. The other day he was down by the lift bridge when he spotted some people with surfboards walking down the pier. He looked down the shoreline and spotted a bunch of surfers in wetsuits bobbing in the water. He says it was 60 degrees and windy that day.
The water temperature this time of year for Lake Superior at Canal Park is 59 degrees. It's actually a good time of year to surf Lake Superior because the water has been warming all summer. The temperature usually peaks in the mid-60 degree range in August before beginning to cool down in September.
Vice did a story on these "Ice Beard Surfers" on Lake Superior. You can get their perspective of what makes surfing Lake Superior different than surfing the ocean. One of the things they mention is with it being fresh water, there isn't as much buoyancy as salt water in the ocean.
Another plus? No sharks to worry about in Lake Superior. Watch out for those sturgeon though.