Winter Lake Superior surfers get Wave of the Week recognition

Ahhh, winter in the Great Lakes states – hot cocoa, sledding, cuddling up by the fire and…surfing? Surfing isn’t your go-to activity in 20-degree weather? Well, me neither. But on Friday, Daily Surf Videos chose their Wave of the Week video featuring dedicated surfers trekking out in the winter months to catch some of the Great Lakes best waves. When a large storm crosses, it can make for double overhead surf, compared to 2- or 3-foot waves typical in the calm summer months.

VIDEO: Freshwater surfers are Great Lakes activists

Last February, Deur was asked by the Healing Our Waters Coalition, a group working to restore the Great Lakes, to lobby in Washington, D.C. on Great Lakes Day. He was the only surfer among 100 business leaders, lobbyists and activists discussing the restoration and protection of the lakes on Capitol Hill.

Some hardy souls around Lake Michigan brave the cold

(IL) Chicago Tribune – Lake Michigan can be an angry beast in late autumn, when icy winds whip across its surface and thrashing waves lay siege to the receding shoreline. The same Chicago-area beaches that buzz with activity each summer become like a barren moonscape — inhospitable to all but the most peculiar of aquatic life: The Great Lakes surfer. More